La Belle Dame Sans Merci
by Jo. R
Summary: When a friend is murdered, Abby will stop at nothing to get revenge. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

Title: La Belle Dame Sans Merci  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-15  
Category: Drama, Angst, Action, Case-file, Romance, Friendship  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Spoilers: Mild for 'Child's Play', 'Hiatus', 'Rule 51'  
Summary: When a friend is murdered, Abby will stop at nothing to get revenge.  
Authors Note: Big thanks to ncislove for looking this over and giving me the boost I needed to start posting :) *hugs*

* * *

"CIA?"

"Too friendly."

"FBI?"

"Not cocky enough."

NCIS Special Agents Tony DiNozzo, Ziva David and Tim McGee stood gathered around the large plasma screen in the squad room of NCIS Headquarters in Washington DC, using the screen as a foil to hide their not-so-subtle observation o the newcomers.

A group of four individuals had arrived not more than five minutes ago. Two women, two men, they'd been greeted by NCIS Director Leon Vance with a politeness that verged on being icy. The elder woman, a tall and slender lady with her silver dashed black hair tied neatly in a bun at the base of her head led the group and had almost immediately engaged the Director in conversation as they walked slowly up the stairs towards MTAC and the Director's office. Her three companions were younger and obviously didn't have the same authority; the team of NCIS agents had surmised their role within seconds: security detail.

Their speculations came to an end when their own boss arrived, apparently too focused on the coffee in his hand to notice the interlopers talking with their Director. Not, unfortunately for his team, focused enough to miss the fact his own agents weren't doing their tasks he'd left them.

"You find Lance Corporal Bishop's wife, DiNozzo?" Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs continued before his senior field agent could formulate a response. "I don't see you going through his phone records, McGee, and David? Any hits on the BOLO we put out on Bishop's vehicle?"

They scrambled to their desks, all three talking at once, their voices rising a little in an attempt at being heard over the others, glares accompanying their words to try and intimidate their colleagues into being quiet.

Gibbs lifted his head to glare at them all and silence fell instantly. "One at a time. McGee?" As the technically-minded member of the team launched into a detailed analysis of the murdered Lance Corporal's telephone records, another person joined the not-so-small group. Her arrival went undetected at first by the members of Gibbs' team until they noticed that their boss was paying less attention than normal to the technical side of the debriefing and realised the frown on his face probably wasn't related to their case.

Tony, Ziva and McGee followed his line of sight, each of them feeling the same jolt of surprise and curiosity their boss wasn't willing to let show on his own face.

Already as engrossed in the conversation as the NCIS Director – and appearing far less pleased about it, too - was their very own Forensic Specialist, Abby Sciuto.

* * *

"What are you doing here, Catherine?" Abby forced her words out through gritted teeth, all but ignoring the NCIS Director in favour of the woman she'd thought she'd never see again.

It seemed Gibbs wasn't the only person at NCIS whose past refused to remain there.

"If we could move this to the conference room like Director Vance suggested..." Catherine Lowry, a senior agent with the National Security Agent, spoke with a strained smile. "I really don't want to have this conversation with you on the stairs, Abigail."

"It's Abby," Abby corrected shortly. "No one calls me Abigail here."

Catherine arched an eyebrow. "If that's what you prefer." She motioned with her head to the Director. "Shall we continue?"

Seeing she had no choice when Director Vance gave a nod of assent, Abby bit back a sigh and gave a hard look at the three agents accompanying her former boss; one of the male agents shrugged while the other looked away uncomfortably. The female agent merely smirked. "Did you really need the entourage?"

"I didn't have much of a choice," Catherine answered with a small shrug and a smile that was a notch warmer. "I've gone up in the ranks since we last spoke, Abby."

"So it would seem."Casting a glance over her shoulder, Abby fought a surge of panic when she noticed their small audience. "Let's get this over with."

She motioned for Catherine to precede her up the stairs and gave Director Vance a small nod of acknowledgement when he, in turn, gestured for her to go up before him. The three agents assigned to protect the high-ranking NSA official followed behind the Director at a slightly slower pace.

* * *

Once in the conference room, Catherine and the Director sat while Abby and the three NSA agents remained standing on opposite sides of the table. Crossing her arms over her chest, Abby leaned back against the wall as she watched Catherine open her briefcase and take out two folders, one of which she passed to Director Vance and the other that she slid across the table towards Abby.

Abby made no move to accept it.

"As we discussed on the phone, Director Vance," Catherine began, glancing at the man only to find his attention split between the file in his hands and his forensic scientist. "Abigail's – I'm sorry, Abby's – personal file isn't entirely complete. This is through no fault of her own, I assure you, and I'm certain she would have preferred to tell you or your predecessors the truth but the National Security Agency has strict protocols regarding what is and isn't suitable material to be passed onto other organisations, even sister agencies like yourself."

"You mentioned that she was a former employee of yours and that you would explain more in person." Director Vance gave Abby an assessing look before turning cool eyes onto the senior NSA agent. "Explain."

"Perhaps Abby would like to...?" The hopeful smile on Catherine's face faded when it was met by stony silence from the woman in question. "Very well." She took a moment to compose herself, crossing her hands demurely on the desk in front of her. "The NSA began operating what we call think-tanks in the sixties. They are made up of the brightest children, those of above average intelligence who underwent a series of tests and examinations before they were offered a place with us. After passing all of the required elements, the chosen children were invited to be part of a special group housed at one of our facilities across the country. Their families are given financial compensation and the student is given a first class education as well as an opportunity to study at the agency's expense in whatever they desired when they reach school-leaving age." Catherine's smile was affectionate, almost indulgent as she glanced between the NCIS Director and his forensic specialist. "It's due to the NSA that Abby was able to afford the education that led her here to you, I believe."

Director Vance's expression didn't change. "So Ms. Sciuto was part of one of your think-tanks?" He looked at the black-haired woman doing her best to blend in with the wall behind her. "Like Angela Kelp?"

Remembering the twelve year old girl and the case involving her and the government think-tank she was part of all too well, Abby gave him a small nod. "I was eleven when they approached my parents and offered me a place."

"She showed a lot of promise and would have made a great agent. She was a great agent," Catherine corrected with a one-shouldered shrug. "Until you decided being out in the field wasn't for you, and that the NSA had no position that appealed."

"If I'd stayed with the NSA, I'd have been dead within the year. Maybe not physically but in every other way." Abby tightened her arms around herself and met Catherine's gaze. "You know it would have killed me, Catherine. I wasn't – I'm not – cut out for making those decisions and having that much blood on my hands."

Regret filled her face for a moment and Catherine lowered her gaze. "I know that, Abby, and I'm sorry I have to do what I came here to do."

Abby squared her shoulders and braced herself. "Which is?"

"Reactive your status as an NSA agent. Temporarily," Catherine added with a glance at the Director. "It's for your own safety as much as to benefit the agency, Abby. If you'd just look in the file..."

Her heart pounded in her chest and her face felt hot. Abby reached for the chair rather than the file, pulling it out from the table and sinking down into it gratefully. She ran her fingertips over the corner of the file, its plastic immaculate and pristine as she would expect from a NSA document, but couldn't bring herself to flip its cover open. "Why? Why now and why me?"

"If you'd read the file, Abby, it'll tell you everything you want to know."

"I want you to tell me. I want to know what I'll be looking at when I open it."

There was a moment of silence as the two women, once close, stared at one another. Director Vance watched them with interest before opening his own copy of the file, his sharp intake of breath breaking the silence as he caught a glimpse of the first photograph attached to the page opposite the neatly printed type.

"How many agents have you lost?" He asked after a long moment, drawing the attention of both Catherine and Abby.

"Five that we're aware of. Two of them were retired so there's a possibility there'll be more we just haven't heard about yet." Catherine's posture was tense, her blue eyes flashing momentarily with a grief she couldn't contain. "We understand that your agents are investigating the death of a Lance Corporal Iain Bishop. His wife was a former NSA agent, whose body we recovered from the Anacostia River early this morning. She was murdered, as he was, execution style."

Her brow furrowed, Abby searched her memory for the name of the missing woman she'd been asked to help Gibbs' team monitor. Andrea Bishop wasn't a name that sounded familiar to her but..."Andrea Bishop is Andrea Tomlinson?"

"She is. Was." Catherine cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, Abby. I know Andrea was one of the classmates you were close to."

"We haven't spoken in years. I thought she was living in Florida now." Her mind conjured an image of Andrea Bishop, a woman who had never been able to tame her unruly brunette curls no matter how much they'd tried to straighten them after lights out as classmates. "Andrea left before I did. She'd met a guy, wanted to settle down and have a family..."

"She followed her husband to Florida and, from what I can understand, followed him to DC when he was transferred to Bethesda." There was a short pause. "She isn't the only victim you'll recognise, Abby. There's a reason we need you back to work with us on this."

With a deep breath, Abby flipped the page of the folder open. Her breath caught in her throat at the first photograph and the sudden nausea in her stomach only got worse as she flicked through the images.

The murders themselves were nothing worse than what she'd grown used to seeing while working at NCIS but the faces of the victims were eerily familiar in every single case.

"They're all members of my team," Abby murmured, checking off the faces against the names in the report. "We were all part of the same unit, the same division..."

"Which is why we need you to work with us on this. Help us find someone that links you all, something that might be motive enough for someone to do this."

"NCIS will do whatever they can to help you," Director Vance answered before Abby could. "You might insist on reactivating Ms. Sciuto's status with your agency, Agent Lowry, but I will remind you that she is currently an NCIS employee and has responsibilities and obligations to my agency that she cannot be released from. I suggest a compromise," he added before Catherine could argue. "If you're interested?"

Catherine's eyes narrowed. "What kind of compromise?"

"NCIS and NSA share the case. We'll work together to find out who's responsible for the deaths of your agent, and the murder of our Lance Corporal. Ms – Agent – Sciuto will act as the liaison between our agencies." The Director's tone was firm and unrelenting. His gaze was stony. "Agent Gibbs and his team are already investigating Lance Corporal Bishop's murder. It makes sense to merge our investigations rather than waste either of them."

Her head tilting slightly in consideration, Catherine looked to Director Vance with an assessing gaze. "Will your agents be willing to fully cooperate with an outside agency?"

"They will," Director Vance agreed with a confidence Abby didn't share. "They'll agree to work alongside you if I understand the situation correctly and you believe Ms. Sciuto is in danger of becoming a target."

Abby's eyes widened as the details in the file in front of her began to sink in. It wasn't just NSA agents, current and former, who were being killed. It was also their families and those they were closest to... "My mother, and my brother and his family..."

"Are already on their way to a safe house provided by the NSA," Catherine cut in soothingly. "I can arrange for you to speak with them before they get there if you'd like."

"How much do they know about what's going on?" Abby didn't bother answering the question; she was sure her expression answered for her.

"Your brother knows as much as I was able to tell him, namely that due to a previous case you worked on with the National Security Agency, you are currently a potential target for the person or people beyond what we're assuming are revenge killings. I don't know how much he's told your mother or sister-in-law." Catherine crossed her hands on the table in front of her. "We could call them now..."

"I'll need video conferencing," Abby interjected. "I want my mother to be able to see me. Gloria will worry otherwise."

"We can take care of that," Director Vance interrupted before Catherine could reply. "NCIS will gladly liaise with the NSA to ensure you get to speak to your family, Abby."

"Thank you, Sir." Abby's smile was small but full of genuine thanks.

"While we're arranging that, perhaps you'd like to brief Agent Gibbs and his team?" The Director arched an eyebrow. "You can use your lab."

Away from the NSA, Abby interpreted correctly and once again felt a swell of gratitude towards the NCIS Director. There was still a glint of curiosity in his eyes but the distrust – the betrayal – seemed to have disappeared.

Getting to her feet once more, murmuring her assent, she wondered how long it would take for the sense of betrayal her closest friends would no doubt feel to fade away, too.


	2. Chapter 2

She looked uncomfortable, even in her usual domain surrounded by her machines and personal belongings. That was Gibbs' first thought as he and his team assembled in Abby's lab at her request.

"You find something, Abby?" He doubted she had – not because of a lack of faith in her abilities but because he knew she hadn't spent a lot of time going through the evidence they'd lifted from the scene. He'd watched her go up to the conference room, and he counted the minutes until she'd come out.

"In a manner of speaking." Her smile was a shadow of its usual self, her gaze skittering away from his almost guiltily, definitely nervously. "Lance Corporal Bishop's wife is dead. She's... was a former agent with the National Security Agency."

"You knew her." It was said with a certainty Abby confirmed was justified when she bit her lip in response. "Those people talking to Vance...?"

"NSA. Damn." Tony shook his head and looked at his two teammates. "Should've guessed."

"They did appear to be very solemn," Ziva agreed with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"More like they looked like they thought they were better than us," Tony muttered darkly.

"Abby." Gibbs' voice, coupled with the tone he used, brought their attention back to woman in question. "How do you know a former NSA agent?"

Abby refused to look at him, suddenly finding her hands to be the most interesting thing in the room. "We used to work together. Before I came to NCIS."

"You did forensics work for the NSA?" McGee couldn't keep himself from sounding impressed – or surprised. "Why?"

"It wasn't forensics I did for them, McGee. I was an agent, like Andrea Bishop. We were assigned to the same unit after graduating from our chosen colleges and the NSA's version of an academy." Abby clasped her hands together and forced herself to look up at them. "To cut a long story short, I was recruited into the NSA when I was eleven, part of one of their education programmes. They call them think-tanks now. They put me through college, paid my way for me so I could study what I was interested in and, in exchange, I worked for them for five years after I graduated, putting into practise everything they taught me."

A short, almost stunned silence greeted her announcement for several moments until Abby cleared her throat and continued.

"The reason they're here now is because Andrea's death, and that of her husband, aren't isolated events. She's the fifth person from the unit to be killed, which, along with her family, makes a total of nine homicides in total. I... I've been temporary reinstated as an NSA agent so I can work this case. Director Vance wants me to act as a liaison between the NSA and NCSI so we can merge our investigations and find out who's behind it."

The questions came after another small silence, the NCIS Agents quickly finding their voices.

"What kind of work did you do?"

"What kind of training did you have?"

"You didn't go to High School? Did you have a Prom?"

"How many agents make up a unit?" This from Ziva, earning her a grateful look for her attempt at getting the conversation onto more serious ground.

Taking her lead reluctantly, Tony nodded while McGee seemed to struggle to get his head around the idea that his former lover had more of a past than he'd realised. "Is there a particular case you think it's related to?"

"Are you in danger, Abby? In the at-risk group?" If Ziva's question hadn't succeeded, Gibbs would have made the seriousness of the situation sink in as they all turned to Abby and waited expectantly for her to answer.

"I'm one of seven remaining agents who worked in the same unit as the victims, yes. I supposed that means I'm as much of a target as any of them." She clasped her hands even tighter to keep from fidgeting and met Gibbs' gaze evenly. "I never wanted this to come up. I never wanted to be an agent in the first place, to do what they've asked me to. I'm really not cut out for that kind of thing. I like being in my lab, with my machines. Far, far, far away from the action."

It was meant to be a statement but sounded more like an apology.

"That why you've never said anything about it before?" Gibbs didn't wait for her reluctant nod. "So they've reinstated you, which means you'll be out in the field on this one."

"Unfortunately," Abby agreed quietly.

"At least it's a joint investigation," McGee pointed out helpfully.

"Yeah, Abs. We've got your back." Tony gave her a reassuring grin.

"As will the NSA agents you chose to have on your team." Catherine entered the lab with Director Vance at her side, the latter having shown her the way. At Abby's questioning look, the senior NSA agent smiled slightly. "You're the lead agent on this from our side of the investigation, Abby. I know you prefer to work on your own but I have to insist you pick a small team of agents to work with you on this one."

"Agent Lowry, meet Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo, David and McGee," Director Vance introduced them in the small pause that followed. "Agent Lowry is our NSA contact for the duration of this investigation and will be acting as Agent Sciuto's superior. She will be based here at the Navy Yard until it's done."

Catherine nodded in greeting and held out the items she'd brought down to the lab with her for Abby. "Your badge and service weapon. You'll probably need them both."

With a grimace she made no effort to hide, Abby gingerly took the gun and the leather wallet. She held both as though they were ticking time bombs, setting them down on the bench behind her as soon as she could. "Suppose I'll have to adopt the NSA dress code as well," she muttered with a twist of her mouth. "Great."

"At least we can't ask you to get rid of the tattoos." Catherine pointed out almost cheerfully. "I see you stuck to your word and got quite a few when you contract was up."

"I didn't think the NSA would want me back if I did. Can't say I really blend in with a crown now, can you?" Self-consciously, Abby lifted a hand to rub at the cobweb tattoo on her neck. "You'll have to pick a team for me, Catherine. Most of the agents I knew have retired or died."

Catherine's face sobered at the reminder Abby had known and worked alongside the five dead agents. "I'll pick four agents initially. If you don't get along with them, let me know and I'll arrange for replacements."

"Your old case files are being brought across," Director Vance addressed Abby but his gaze strayed to Gibbs once or twice to check how his senior agent was handling the situation. "Both teams will have the full use of the conference room for this. There wouldn't be enough room in the squad room and I'm told some of the data you'll be sifting through is too sensitive to be discussed in public."

The latter part of his speech was delivered in a tone that suggested he was mildly insulted that the NSA didn't trust all of his people with the confidential information stored in their files and neither Abby nor Gibbs could disagree with him.

"I'll have your team here within the hour," Catherine added. "That should give you time to adjust your mindset and get prepared for the debriefing."

"Prepared meaning to get changed into something more appropriate for a representative of the National Security Agency, you mean?" Abby rolled her eyes at the thinly veiled order, glancing down at the short checked skirt and crisp white blouse she wore complete with skull and bones motive sewn onto the pocket. "Make it an hour and a half and I'll be ready."

"Is that agreeable to you, Agent Gibbs?" Vance looked at his agent with an arched eyebrow. "You and your team can go through the NSA files on the other murders in the meantime. They've already been brought over."

Gibbs gave a small nod of agreement, his gaze never straying far from Abby for long. "We've still got some avenues of our own to look at before we meet with the others." At a look from him, his agents silently left the lab, knowing that was his way of telling them to get back to work. When they were gone, he turned his attention to the senior NSA agent left in the room. "What security measures are in place to keep Abby and the others you've identified as targets safe?"

Catherine blinked, surprise showing momentarily on her face before it vanished behind a calm mask. "Precautions are being taken, I assure you, Agent Gibbs. Those who no longer work with us are being located and given the option of being moved to a safe house, as will their families and those we've identified as being at risk."

"But you're not offering that security to Abby. You're putting her out there, making her visible. Using her as bait?" Gibbs continued even as Catherine blanched, his blue eyes growing colder as he spoke. "Were you planning to share that part of the plan with us or waiting until they made a move on her first?"

The NCIS Director watched, intrigued by the interplay. His jaw clenched as if he hadn't considered the possible motives Gibbs was highlighting; Abby may have been granted temporary reinstatement with the NSA but she was still his forensic specialist and her welfare was very much his business, and his concern.

Abby held herself still, waiting for Catherine's response, unsure what to make of Gibbs' reaction. She knew he was protective of her, almost overprotective at times, but the depth of anger and indignation she could hear in his voice was a new experience for her.

"We would never intentionally endanger one of our own," Catherine said eventually. "I personally would never put Abby in a role like this unless I thought she couldn't handle it, Agent Gibbs. You may only know her as a forensic technician but I assure you, she is more than capable of doing what may be asked of her for this assignment, including defending herself."

"Forensic Specialist," Gibbs corrected mildly, his voice as cold as the look in his eyes.

"I might be a little out of practise with the self-defence side of things but Catherine's right, Gibbs. You won't need to worry about me screwing up in the field or being a hindrance to the investigation." Abby's smile was a little unsteady.

"Not what I'm worried about, Abby." Gibbs reassured her quietly, blue eyes meeting green in a fleeting look that left her feeling as though she'd missed something. "We'll head down to the target range after the debriefing. Make sure you're ready."

"I'd appreciate that, thanks." Abby gave him another small smile before squaring her shoulders. "I should go and change, then I want to speak to my family."

"As soon as you're ready, report to MTAC," the Director told her kindly. "I've told the technicians there to be on standby for the link to NSA."

"Thank you, Director."

"Your team will be here and waiting in ninety minutes," Catherine told her stiffly, her shoulders tense. "If you'll excuse me, Director. Abby, Agent Gibbs."

The moment her former mentor and temporary superior had left the room, Abby let her shoulders slump, her gaze dropping to the badge and gun Catherine had left behind with a heavy sigh.

"Ms. Sciuto," Director Vance's voice had her looking up again. "Don't let the NSA pressurise you into doing anything that would jeopardise your own safety." An eyebrow lifted when she merely looked at him. "I can make it an order if that would help?"

"No, Sir. Thank you." She managed another small smile, one that lasted just long enough for him to leave her lab. When he was gone, she turned her attention to Gibbs, her expression lost, her eyes searching. "I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can go back."

"You're not going back." In two long strides, he'd crossed the room towards her, accepting her almost desperate hug, willingly offering whatever comfort he could. "It's temporary, and like DiNozzo said, we've got your back."

"It's not my back I'm worried about," Abby muttered, her voice muffled against him. "It's my sanity I think I might lose."

"Nah." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before taking a step back. The grin on his face didn't quite reach his eyes but she appreciated the attempt anyway. "To lose your sanity, you'd have to have it first, Abby."

He ducked away from her playful punch and left her with a smile on her face. One that didn't last long but that had been genuine for the few fleeting moments it had existed.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks so much for the reviews, and adds to your alerts/favourites! I can't say enough how much I appreciate all of the support from each of you. *hugs* Fortunately, this story is mostly done so I can promise you won't need to wait long between parts :)_

* * *

Abby Sciuto, NCIS Forensic Specialist, walked out of the NCIS Headquarters and just over an hour later, Agent Sciuto, NSA agent, walked in.

The black suit she wore was tailored to her slender frame, complimented by the red blouse she wore beneath the fitted jacket. Ankle high boots with small, slender heels adored her feet in place of her regular thick-soled platforms and she wore her hair mostly loose, black strands kept back from her face by a sliver of silver either side of her head.

His first glimpse of the holstered gun at her hip gave him a jolt but not so much as the whole image she presented.

An attractive but wrong image. Not the attractive but familiar one he'd come to rely on seeing to centre himself.

Gibbs watched her enter the room, still making an entrance but for different reasons than he was sure she was used to. He watched her sharp green gaze pass over the NSA agents already in attendance, assessing them and forming opinions even before they'd had a chance to utter a word.

It was almost like observing himself, Gibbs realised, and it was a strange sensation to suddenly have that particular trait in common with his previously lab-bound specialist.

She didn't look like the woman he knew and cared for, and that unsettled him. The warmth and humour he'd come to love seeing in her face was gone from her features, replaced by a cool detachment he found he didn't like anywhere near as much.

The NSA agents who'd been casting Gibbs and his own team what could only be called resentful looks immediately sat up straighter in their chairs, their attention drawn to their leader.

Abby seemed to hesitate for a moment when she reached the head of the table, faltering as she tried to settle on a side to sit on. Gibbs watched with approval as she chose a chair midway between the nearest members of both teams and the briefing began.

* * *

It was the photographs of the children that got to her the most, especially with the image of her niece sitting on her mother's knee so fresh in her mind. The conversation she'd had with her family in MTAC had been brief but had assured her they would be safe as well as serving to remind her that she was overdue a visit home to see her loved ones.

Two of the five victims had had children who had also died at the hand of their murder; one with twin little boys the same age as her niece and one with a teenage girl.

A smiling family portrait of happier times was attached to one side of the file while on the opposite page, a crime scene photograph of the two limp forms of the once lively little boys. A picture of a teenager in formal wear, beaming at the camera as she prepared for some kind of prom was filed beside an image of the girl's lifeless eyes as she lay in a crumpled heap where her killer had left her without remorse.

Abby had stared at those photographs for so long she was sure she'd be seeing them in her nightmares for weeks if not months to come.

Two of the four NSA agents under her command were out carrying out interviews in two of the homicides in case someone remembered something they hadn't already reported in their statements. Ziva and Tony were handling the other three. McGee, along with the remaining NSA agents, was settled in the conference room sifting through her old NSA case files while Abby herself sat in silence as Gibbs drove them towards the shooting range, trying to push the case momentarily from her mind.

Neither of them had spoken since leaving NCIS; neither was really sure of what they could say.

Being in the field was different to being in the lab and Abby found she hated it as much as she'd always thought she would; being out in the real world away from the four brightly painted walls that offered her shelter from the evils beyond them made her closer somehow, made it all seem far too real.

Without speaking, they got out of the car, signed in and headed to the range. They chose booths next to each other, each donning the protective equipment waiting for them.

The first round of shots were made in silence, both using the experience to rid themselves of some of the frustrated tension they'd been feeling since the day had begun.

As the targets, complete with bullet holes, came closer, Abby sensed Gibbs approach and removed the coverings from over her ears, turning her body slightly into his as he surveyed her handiwork over her shoulder.

"Not bad," he murmured, eyeing the gathering of holes neatly clustered together. "A little to the left but we can fix that."

A few minutes later and he was standing behind her, a new target in front. She found herself holding her breath when she felt the warmth of his chest against her back, a small shiver they both pretended didn't happen going through her when he tugged her back against him further with a hand around her hip.

She bit back a sigh when his leg moved slightly to nudge hers apart, swallowed a gasp when he made no attempt at moving it away from between her thighs and felt his body's response to their closeness against the small of her back. She heard his swift intake of breath when she inadvertently pressed closer and felt the tightening of his hand but decided not to acknowledge it.

His breath was hot against her ear as he murmured instructions, helping her adjust her stance and line up the target. The hand that wasn't resting on her hip moved to cover hers over the gun, asserting a little pressure to encourage her wordlessly to pull the trigger.

His body supported hers through the recoil, once, twice, until the cartridge was empty.

The sound of bullets being fired rang in her ears but still didn't seem as loud as the blood thudding through her veins in time with her pounding heart.

They didn't speak as they repeated the exercise, didn't move more than was necessary and always seemed to find themselves returning to exactly the same position.

Close, intimate.

When their allotted time was up, Gibbs led her from the range, turning to her only when they reached his car. He studied her intently, blue eyes searching hers, nodding a little to himself when he found what he'd been looking for.

"You'll get through this," he told her quietly, seriously, almost a promise.

Abby tried to smile to show she believed him and opened her mouth to speak but whatever she'd been planning to say was cut off by the softest touch of his lips against hers.

"I'll get you through this," he murmured when he pulled away, his eyes dark with promise as they met her stunned gaze. "Then we'll talk. No more secrets, Abby. I don't want any secrets between us anymore."

She nodded, unsure of what to say, not sure she'd have been able to speak even if the words hadn't failed her.

In silence, they got back into the car and drove back to Headquarters the same way.


	4. Chapter 4

Three of the seven possible targets couldn't be contacted. Abby worried her bottom lip between her teeth, foot tapping on the floor beneath the desk as Catherine broke the news to her.

They'd all been friends of hers at one time, Abby remembered, fellow classmates when she'd first arrived at the so-called academy wide-eyed and full of curious fear. They'd worked together as part of the same team within the same unit, friends as well as colleagues.

She'd gone to the wedding of two of them, Rob and Helen Summers, and had kept in touch through emails and phone calls at first, something that had dwindled down into exchanging cards at Christmas before that, too, had fallen by the wayside.

The fourth member of the group had been her closest friend and partner; Annie Green had had her back and Abby had had hers. They'd kept in touch, too, and still emailed every month or so with the latest news. Annie had been her roommate at college, in the house on campus that the NSA had rented for them, the house in which Catherine had served as mentor and chaperone and made sure they'd kept up with their extracurricular NSA activities as well as their studies.

"Annie works part time for UCLA," Abby told Catherine stiffly. "She does lectures there from time to time. You could see if they've got alternate contact details for her." Abby's own emails to Annie had gone unanswered.

"I'll do that." Catherine made a note in the notepad she was carrying. "Rob and Helen might be on vacation. Their mail hasn't been collected in a week and the neighbours don't recall seeing them in at least that long but it's possible."

Possibly, but the churning sensation in her stomach didn't let her believe their absence could be explained away so innocently. A glance in Gibbs' direction told her he didn't think so, either.

"I've got a shortlist of cases to go through," Abby said out loud, clasping her hands together to keep from fidgeting. "The team narrowed it down to four where all of the victims were with the unit. I'll go through them and see if anything jumps out, see if I can remember anyone in particular who might hold a grudge."

"Let me know if you do." Catherine nodded but hesitated before continuing, shooting Gibbs a look that suggested she'd like to speak to Abby alone. Gibbs gave her a look and stayed where he was, making Catherine sigh. "I've been thinking about your security, Abby. I'd like to assign you a partner, someone to stick with you throughout this investigation..."

"I've got that covered," Gibbs interjected, the first thing he'd said since taking a seat beside Abby in what had temporarily become Catherine's office at the Navy Yard for the early evening debriefing Abby had invited him to but Catherine had not. "Abby's partnered with me."

Catherine arched an eyebrow. "You're taking responsibility for her personal well being, Agent Gibbs?"

"It's been my responsibility for going on eleven years," Gibbs replied with a nonchalant expression. "Don't see what that should change now."

The speculative look Catherine threw at her didn't go unnoticed but the younger woman didn't acknowledge it. Abby shrugged a shoulder at Gibbs when he looked at her questioningly, recalling how he never seemed far from her side ever since their visit to the shooting range. The only time she was without what she was coming to think of her silver-haired shadow was when she'd had to use the bathroom, and even then he'd been waiting outside for her when she was done.

"I'm happy with Gibbs as a partner," she answered instead, trying to control a blush at the possible double-meaning to her words. "There's no one I'd feel safer with, Catherine. You don't have to worry."

"I always worry about my agents," Catherine replied with a look. "You should remember that."

"I do, but I also know it isn't necessary in this case." Abby held her former mentor's gaze for a few moments before looking away. "I was thinking about other possible targets, since whoever's behind this is likely to get frustrated and strike out anyway if their intended victims aren't available. You were always one of our supervising agents, along with Ron and Frank. You've all moved up in the ranks so it's possible one of you is the end game."

Tilting her head as she considered it, Catherine nodded slowly. "I'll take that under advisement, Abby. If there's nothing else...?"

Recognising a dismissal when she heard one, Abby got to her feet, unsurprised when Gibbs followed suit and stood with her. "Let me know if you hear from Annie?"

"I will."

With a small nod, Abby led the way out of the office, struggling to hold onto her composure when Gibbs' hand brushed against the small of her back. She managed to keep her emotions under control until they were enclosed behind the solid doors of the elevator and even then thought she would have been okay if Gibbs hadn't hit the emergency stop button and turned to her with concern in his eyes.

Her mask cracked and a tear slid down her cheek. She went into his arms willingly when he tugged her closer, hiding her face against his suit jacket.

"Don't let me go," she mumbled, her words muffled against him as she slipped her own arms around him and held fast.

Gibbs' own arms tightened around her in response and she felt the brush of his lips against the top of her head before he answered solemnly. "I won't."

"I mean it, Gibbs." She pulled back, teary green eyes holding his unflinchingly. "You have no idea how long it took me to stop thinking like one of them and start being who I am, who I want to be. I'm scared I'm going to lose myself again."

He lifted a hand from her hip to touch her cheek, catching the tear that escaped her eye with the pad of his thumb. He wiped it away and leaned in, pressing his lips against her forehead before drawing back to make his promise. "If you do, I'll find you. I'll always find you."

They stared at one another in silence. They moved closer at the same time, lips meeting almost clumsily at first. His hand slid to the back of her head, tangling in her hair to keep her in place as the kiss grew deeper, desperate.

Parting after what felt like both a long time and no time at all, they looked at each other with identical expressions, neither surprised but both a little dazed. Making a quick decision, he stepped away from her but took hold of her hand, hitting the button to start the elevator once more.

When it stopped on the ground floor, Abby didn't protest. Nor did she protest when he led her to his car and drove them home in silence.


	5. Chapter 5

Waking alone amidst the tangled sheets wasn't a surprise, not when she could already smell the tempting aroma of freshly brewed coffee and hear the soft tread of footsteps on the stairs. Lying back against the pillows, one arm over her chest holding the sheet in place, Abby stared up at the ceiling, a small smile playing on her mouth.

She'd dreamt about waking up in his room, about spending the night with Gibbs but she'd never allowed herself to believe it would actually become reality. Her memories and the slight ache in her body was tangible evidence that it had.

He'd been everything she'd imagined and so much more. Considerate, attentive, passionate and demanding... She certainly had no complaints. All of the years of wondering and dreaming, of fantasising along in her apartment paled in comparison to the reality of waking up in Gibbs' bed.

Abby sat up and clasped the sheet to her chest, an almost shy smile curving the corners of her unpainted mouth when he walked into the room, two cups of steaming coffee in his hands.

He gave her a slow grin that was almost a smirk and sat on the bed beside her, leaning in to steal a kiss as he passed her one of the cups. "Morning."

"Morning." The kiss was as welcome as the coffee.

They sipped their drinks in silence, his strong and black, hers sweet and creamy. Occasionally, she'd catch him looking at her – or he'd catch her looking at him – and she'd blush and suddenly find her coffee extremely interesting.

"We should probably..." his lips pressing against hers again cut her off. "Talk, was what I was going to say but if you've got other ideas, I won't object."

He took the almost empty cup from her and set it beside his own on the bedside table. His hands free, Gibbs turned to her and pulled her against him, kissing her thoroughly, pouring everything he didn't know how to say into the kiss.

Her eyes were dazed, her cheeks flushed when he pulled away only to roll her beneath him. He propped himself up on an elbow and contemplated her so seriously she began to feel uncomfortable.

"Gibbs..."

He again stopped her, pressing a gentle finger to her lips. "You know this isn't a one-time thing."

It wasn't a question, not really, but there was a small note of uncertainty that kept it from being a statement. Abby smiled up at him, reaching a hand up to his face to draw his mouth back down to hers.

"With you, it never could be," she murmured against his lips before allowing herself to get swept away by him and their feelings for each other once again.

* * *

It was a united pair that walked back into NCIS Headquarters the following day. Tony, Ziva and McGee eyed them speculatively, each aware that something was different but all unable to figure out exactly what it was.

Catherine arched an eyebrow as she met them at the window in the squad room but kept her thoughts to herself. "Good news for you, Abby. Rob and Helen have been found."

Abby glanced at the older woman sharply, a strangely still mask settling over her features. "Where?"

"At a motel three miles from here. They're alive," Catherine added quickly, "a little bruised but they're in one piece."

"They were attacked?" Concern flashed in Abby's green eyes.

"Ambushed getting in from work two nights ago. They fought, managed to get away and holed up in the motel until they thought it was safe to call it in." Catherine met Abby's gaze. "They're here, in the conference room. They insisted on talking to you."

Abby nodded, a dozen questions flying through her mind. She found herself glancing up towards the conference room but held herself still. "Any word on Annie?"

"None." Catherine gave her an apologetic look. "I've had a word with my superiors and they've decided to bring in someone else to help. Veronica Kelly will be here by noon."

A look flashed over Abby's face in a moment and her shoulders tensed. Beside her, Gibbs arched an eyebrow but she shook her head slightly. "Is Veronica taking over from an NSA perspective?"

"Not as long as I'm here," Catherine answered quietly, not sure if it was relief or disappointment she saw momentarily in Abby's eyes. "I know she's still an active agent but as far as I'm concerned, you're still in charge of the investigation. Abby... I know you two have had your differences in the past but she's good at what she does."

"I'm sure she is. She's good at screwing people over so she looks good." Abby shrugged a shoulder. "She can report directly to you. The least we see of each other, the better for all concerned."

Abby barely waited for Catherine's resigned sigh or reluctant nod. She strode away towards the stairs, aware of Gibbs following behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Tony, Ziva and McGee joining them, too.

One of her NSA teammates, Agent Charlie Robertson, stood outside the conference room door, obviously on guard duty and obviously uncomfortable with it.

"Agent Robertson?" Abby stopped to question him. "Any particular reason you're out here?"

Agent Robertson shifted on his feet. "Mr. And Mrs. Summers requested it, Ma'am. They asked Agent Lowry if they could have some privacy until you got here so she put me here to see that they weren't disturbed."

Privacy, or protection, Abby wondered. She gave the younger agent a strained smile. "As you were, Agent Robertson. If you could make sure we're not interrupted, I'd appreciate it."

The tips of his ears went red and he stood straighter. "Yes, Ma'am."

Abby led the group into the room, doing her best to ignore Tony's smirk.

"Think the kid has a crush you, Abs," Tony murmured just as soon as the doors closed behind them. The "ow" that followed a few moments later told her that Gibbs' had taken care of him for her.

Rob and Helen Summers looked up when they heard the door open, the tension draining from their bodies as they saw and recognised Abby. Rob stayed in his chair but gave her a tired wave, ugly dark bruises marring the left side of his face, standing out in stark contrast to the white gauze over his right eye. Helen moved to embrace her, her actions slow and pained. Fresh blood began to appear at the side of her mouth where the skin had been broken but neither woman reacted as they hugged the other close.

"Thank God you're here," Helen murmured, tears making her blue eyes even more luminous. Her arms tightened almost painfully around Abby. "We were so sure they would've taken you out first."

"Who?" Drawing back, Abby searched Helen's face for answers, cold dread settling in the pit of her stomach at the flash of betrayal in her friend's face. "What happened, Helen? Who attacked you?"

Clutching Abby's hand, Helen let herself be led back to the table. She started visibly when she realised they weren't alone, noticing the NCIS agents for the first time. Eying them with obvious suspicion, Helen took the hand her husband reached out to her and looked to Abby.

"They're NCIS," Abby explained quietly. "You can trust them. Agent Gibbs is co-leading the investigation and Agents DiNozzo, David and McGee are helping." She squeezed Helen's hand and gave her NCIS colleagues a small, affectionate smile. "These are the guys I told you about, the ones I work with here. I trust them completely and so can you."

Rob and Helen exchanged a look before they started to speak. "We'd met for coffee on our way home from work on Wednesday. We do it once a week, go to the same coffee shop just to unwind and celebrate we're halfway through the week."

Rob picked up the story when Helen's voice trailed off. "We drove home and Helen waited for me at the front door. Old instincts, I guess, but we always go through the door, any door, together if we can. We didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. The door was still locked, the security system still enabled. We'd only just stepped in when I heard Helen cry out..."

"One of the guys grabbed me," Helen continued, blinking back tears. "There were four in total. I tried to fight him off but two of the others grabbed Rob and one of them held a knife to his throat. They said if I struggled or screamed, they'd kill him."

There was a moment's pause. Abby saw Gibbs gesture to Tony out of the corner of her eye and matched the two men move off to the side to confer quietly. "Did you see who they were?" She asked instead, distracting her former colleagues from the conversation across the room. "Did they give any indication of why they're doing this?"

"One of the men looked familiar. He caught me staring at him and smirked at me." Helen shuddered at the memory. "He introduced himself as Tomas De Silvo. He said he was going to kill us because we'd helped kill his brother."

"De Silvo," Abby repeated, a thoughtful frown on her face. "A relation of Kristof De Silvo?"

At Gibbs' look, McGee jumped in with an explanation. "One of the old case-files I went through yesterday had a Kristof De Silvo. He was the leader of a would-be terrorist cell. The NSA – Abby's unit – were investigating a series of attacks in the capital in the late 80's. Each attack got a little closer to the Pentagon and the last one, a car bomb outside of a townhouse belonging to a Pentagon official, killed four people."

"Colonel O'Reilly was an Air Force officer assigned to the Pentagon. There was some talk of him running for senate. He, his wife and son were killed in the explosion, as well as his aide." A shadow passed over Abby's face as she recalled the details of the case. "We caught a break when we managed to trace the car the bomb had been in to a rental company. The name they had was fake but they had CCTV footage and we caught the guy trying to get in on a tour of the White House. He gave up the others, Kristof De Silvo and his group, and told us where we could find them."

"So you arrested them?" Ziva asked quietly. "Shut down the operation?"

"Not exactly." Abby frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "I always thought they'd been tipped off. Only half of the people we were expecting were there – Kristof and about fifteen others. They seemed to know we were coming and the whole thing... It got messy, people got hurt."

"We lost three agents before getting control of the situation," Rob explained with a sigh. "It would have been four when Kirstof managed to grab Annie..."

"... but Abby killed him. You saved Annie's life," Helen reminded the pale woman gently. "If you hadn't, he would have slit her throat while the rest of us watched."

Abby cleared her throat, trying unsuccessfully to block out the images that replayed on a loop in her mind. "We lost three, they lost nine including Kristof. The remaining six were questioned and imprisoned. The cell was deemed to be no longer a threat because Kristof was dead."

A short silence fell over the group. Abby, Rob and Helen tried not to remember that night when three of their own had fallen while Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and McGee tried to picture their forensic scientist at the heart of it all.

"You were right about them being tipped off," Helen said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Tomas said he had a source that had saved his life, one that had given him the names and addresses of everyone involved that night. His plan is to get revenge for his brother's murder, and those friends of his who died, and then continue what they started in the De Silvo name."

"Did they say who?" Abby sat up straighter in her chair, eyes narrowed speculatively.

"No." Rob shook his head. "We tried to bait him but he just said it was someone within the NSA. It's why Helen and I wanted to speak only to you. You're the only one we kept in touch with, the only one we knew we could trust."

"How did you get away from them, if you don't mind me asking?" Ziva questioned, a perfect mixture of concern and curiosity on her face. "You were outnumbered and out-armed."

"After they beat us, two of them left – Tomas and another man. They said something about having to pay someone else a visit." Helen's grip on Rob and Abby's hands tightened. "Has anyone else been hurt? Do you know if they've gone after the others...?"

"How did you get away from the other two?" Gibbs interrupted, meeting Abby's questioning stare with a quirked eyebrow. "They must've still been armed."

"They were," Rob answered for his wife, a glimmer of annoyance flickering in the depths of his grey eyes. "We waited till one of them went to the bathroom, then Helen doubled over as if she was in pain. When he got close enough, Helen kneed him in the groin – and I kicked out, knocking him over. We'd already loosened the knots of the rope they'd used to tie us up so getting away from that point wasn't a problem."

"We didn't dare get any clothes or money other than what was in my purse, which was still on the floor where I'd dropped it. It was Rob's idea to drive most of the way, then we ditched it and walked the rest of the way." Helen gave them a tremulous smile. "We're just lucky we remembered some of our training, I guess." Her smile disappeared as she looked at Abby. "We tried calling you at home last night but you weren't there, and we didn't want to risk leaving a message in case the wrong person heard it. Eventually we called Veronica, she told us we'd be able to find you here."

"Why did you wait until last night to call me?" A small frown marred Abby's brow. "You could've called as soon as you were safe."

"We didn't want to risk it," Rob said apologetically. "We decided to wait a few days in case you were the one Tomas was going to see."

"So you left her at risk for three days to save your own skin," Tony interjected, the beginnings of a scowl on his face. "Nice friends you have here, Abs. Glad you can count on them to watch your back."

The sarcasm in his voice wasn't lost on any of them. While Abby appreciated his outrage was on her behalf, she felt a twinge of loyalty for the former NSA agents who'd watched her back for so long so many years ago. "It's standard procedure, Tony. They're right, contacting me could have led De Silvo and his men right back to them. You should have contacted the NSA as soon as possible," she addressed Rob and Helen, a slight note of censure creeping into her voice. "But if De Silvo does have a mole inside of the agency, I can understand why you waited."

She could understand it, Abby conceded to herself, but knew if their situations were reversed, she would have done anything she could to warn them. So, she knew, would the NCIS agents in the room, in spite of the danger they might have been putting themselves in.

"Have they gone after anyone else?" Helen asked again, her eyes locking on Abby. "Were we the first...?"

Abby shook her head, dropping her gaze to the table momentarily. As she explained the situation to her former teammates, Gibbs motioned for his agents to gather by the door.

"You're not buying it," Tony said quietly, keeping his voice down to avoid being overheard. "You think they're hiding something?"

"I think that's what you get to paid to find out, DiNozzo," Gibbs answered just as lowly. "You and Ziva go to their place, check out their story. Catherine said she'd sent people round to the house and there was no sign of anything amiss. Check out the motel they called from, too. McGee..." Glancing over his shoulder to check the couple in question were still engrossed in Abby's explanation, Gibbs paused a moment, a momentary regret at betraying Abby's faith in her former colleagues going through him. "Go through their finances," he instructed McGee. "See if there's anything that doesn't add up."

"You think maybe they bought their safety? Paid De Silvo not to kill them?" McGee's eyes widened momentarily. "Boss..."

"Abby is not going to like this," Ziva finished McGee's thought for him, voicing the concern all four of them shared. "She will think we are going behind her back."

Gibbs met Ziva's gaze for a short moment. "Let me worry about Abby," he said eventually. "You just do your jobs."

Knowing it meant he would tell their forensic scientist what he'd ordered them to do and take full responsibility if he had to, the three NCIS agents left to do as he'd asked. Gibbs turned back to watch Abby, to study the two people she was talking with, hoping for her sake his gut would be proven wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

NSA Agent Veronica Kelly arrived no more than an hour later. The attractive strawberry blond woman was greeted with trepidation by the NCIS agents who noted Abby's less than welcoming response, subdued warmth by Rob and Helen Summers and professional interest by the four NSA agents assigned to the case under Abby's command.

"Simon briefed me on the plane on the way over here, Abigail. I'm so sorry for the loss of your teammates." Veronica's blue eyes fixed on Abby's green ones and she held out her hand. After a moment, when it became clear Abby had no intention of taking it, she let her hand drop back to her side. "I know we haven't always got alone but don't you think we should put our differences aside for the purpose of this investigation? For Annie?"

For a reason Gibbs couldn't understand, Abby tensed even further when the other agent mentioned her missing partner. "Don't pretend you're concerned about her, Veronica, we both know it's a lie." The iciness of her voice surprised most of those present but Abby didn't let it silence her. "You will report directly to Agent Lowry, Agent Kelly, and get your orders from her, too. I don't want you here, and I don't want your help."

"Oh, come on, Abigail. Surely we can put the past behind us?" The distress on Veronica's face was obvious. "I know you're worried about her. I am, too..."

"Don't..." The flash of cold fury in Abby's eyes startled the other woman, so much so that she took a step back. Before Abby could continue, her cell phone started to ring and she stalked away to answer it in private.

Veronica shook her head sadly and turned to Gibbs and his team, shrugging helplessly. "You'll have to excuse us," she said with a bright smile aimed at the man she noted still watched Abby from a short distance. "We fell out over a case before Abigail and Annie quit the NSA. I managed to solve it after they'd spent days getting nowhere. I didn't realise she would still hold a grudge..."

Gibbs, to her disappointment, wasn't listening. He was watching Abby closely and moved swiftly to her side at the first sign of distress on her face.

"Annie? Where are you? Please, Ann, talk to me." Abby's grip on the phone tightened as the sense of urgency she felt increased. "Annie, please..."

"McGee, track the call," Gibbs ordered brusquely, noticing with approval that his agent had already moved to do so before he'd spoken. Ziva and Tony had come up to them, too, forming a semi-circle of silent support instinctively around their friend.

"Hurts so much," Annie Green's broken voice rasped through the speakerphone. "Hurts to breathe," she whimpered.

Abby blinked back tears at the obvious pain in her friend's voice and leaned more fully against Gibbs. "Where are you Annie? I'll come and get you; I just need to know where you are."

"... Don't. Can't trust... Don't..." Annie's voice broke off on a sob. "... 'm sorry, Abby. Should've been stronger. Should've known..."

There was a sound like a gasp then silence. Abby shook her head, refusing to believe what her head told her it meant.

"Ah, Boss?" McGee's tentative voice cut through the tense silence. "The call seems to be coming from Abby's apartment."

Squaring her shoulders, Abby was half-composed by the time Gibbs issued the order. "Gear up."

* * *

Her apartment door was slightly ajar. Gibbs watched Abby as she motioned that she'd go first, wondering how she could look both comfortable with a gun and uncomfortable with it. His mind struggled to process the vision she presented, siding with the part of her that was obviously uncomfortable with it, telling him it was wrong.

His Abby knew how to handle a gun but didn't use on outside of her lab. And she wouldn't – shouldn't – move with such a cool, confident grace as she swept into the apartment on full alert.

The scene that greeted them was enough to turn his stomach, possibly because the surroundings he found himself in were as familiar and personal to him as his own home was. The couch, a black leather number he'd helped her move in with the help of his agents, was ripped to shreds. The bookcase and CD rack he'd built for her were over turned, spilling their contents out onto the floor. The TV screen was smashed and the lovingly framed photographs were torn from behind their shattered glass covers and torn into pieces.

Gibbs clenched his jaw, vowing that the people responsible for ransacking her home so thoroughly would pay for the sorrow he could see already etched into her features. He nodded to his agents, giving them the okay to start cataloguing the evidence, knowing they would salvage what they could and make note of what amongst the damaged belongings they could help Abby replace.

He followed her through the apartment, Agents Kelly, Robertson and two of the others whose names he couldn't remember behind him. Systematically, they cleared each room, leaving a pair of agents behind to process the damage until they reached Abby's bedroom.

His instincts screamed at him not to let Abby enter but he knew she wouldn't welcome his interference. Instead, he was forced to enter the room at her side, studying her almost as much as he studied the carnage in the bedroom.

A woman he assumed was Annie Green, only just familiar to him from both the images n the case-file and a photograph he'd seen adorn Abby's bookshelves, lay in the centre of the mattress, hands and legs secured to the bedposts by thick, heavy-duty chains. Her blood stained the sheets beneath her, covered her clothes and skin and matted her hair in sickening clumps.

The cell phone she'd spoken to Abby on lay between her head and her shoulder, telling him someone else had made the call and forced her to speak.

Her features were only just recognisable, her skin bloody and swollen and mottled with bruises. She'd been tortured slowly, Gibbs realised, with not one distinct cause of death but dozens of cuts and lacerations and injuries that all would have contributed as she bled to death on Abby's bed.

He turned his attention from the body as one of the NSA agents – Agent Robertson – backed out of the room, mumbling apologies. The sound of him retching could be heard from down the hall and Gibbs glanced back at the door to find Tony move past a frozen Veronica Kelly to enter the room.

Horror, shock and sadness crossed over Tony's face, settling on concerned sympathy as he, too, watched Abby carefully.

The woman in question moved silently towards the bed. She reached out to check for a pulse they all knew she wouldn't find, letting her hand linger at Annie's throat for a few moments. In a gesture of tenderness, she reached up to close her friend's sightless eyes, uncaring of the blood already beginning to stain her clothes and her hands.

As Gibbs and Tony watched, a transformation took place. The Abby Sciuto they knew and loved, a warm and caring woman with a generous heart faded away, replaced by a cold woman whose thirst for vengeance was, for a moment, clear to read before a stone-like mask settled over her features.

Gibbs felt something lodge itself in his chest, a strange sense of loss washing through him that he knew Tony shared.

"Get some pictures," Agent Sciuto ordered coldly. "Then we can get the body out of here."

One of the agents Gibbs didn't know moved to do as she'd asked. Veronica reached out for the camera that shook noticeably before the first photograph could be taken, claiming the job as her own. Abby stood back, surveying the rest of the room with an unnatural calmness, seeing the destruction of her personal space without really seeing it.

Tony got to work at a look from his boss, while Ducky entered the room with Jimmy Palmer at his heels, both men looking sadly at the body on the bed. Ducky murmured to his assistant, sending the young man back to the van to get something to cut the chains with while Gibbs tried to catch Abby's eye.

When he did, it was all he could do not to take a step back.

A stranger stared through him in her place.


	7. Chapter 7

She stayed until the end, until every last bit of evidence had been gathered and catalogued and taken away for processing. She got blood on her clothes but that didn't bother her; other people's blood never had.

The image of Annie's bloody, broken body filled her mind again and she squared her shoulders against a shiver.

Only when the order was given to leave and close up the crime scene did she go, clutching her camera to her as she left the apartment.

"Are you okay, Agent Kelly?" Agent Robertson, the man who'd had to leave the room appeared at her elbow, embarrassment warring with concern in his young eyes. "I know you knew her... Agent Green."

Veronica smiled at him and inclined her head in acknowledgement of his concern. "I'm okay, Agent Robertson. Charlie, isn't it?" She smiled again when he nodded, enjoying the blush that stained his cheeks in pleasure that she knew his name. "Thank you, for asking."

"Not a problem, ma'am." The young agent gave her a shy smile and made to move past her, stopping when she reached out and put a hand on his arm. "Ma'am?"

"I was thinking... I hope you don't find me too forward..." Veronica lowered her gaze and bit her bottom lip. "I could really use some company tonight if you've not got other plans...? We could talk about the investigation, maybe. I missed out on a lot not being here at the beginning, maybe you could fill me in on the details...?"

The young agent stared at her, for a moment dumbfounded. It took two attempts before he was able to speak. "No, no. I mean, I've got no plans. We could do that. If you wanted."

Veronica smiled at him and laced her arm through his. "Good."

* * *

Gibbs and his team sat around the table, watching in silence as Abby briefed Catherine and Director Vance on what they'd found in her apartment. She was calm and detached, eerily so, and when the Director caught Gibbs' eye, he could see the same concern reflected back at him.

"Doctor Mallard," Catherine addressed the ME when Abby was finished, "could you determine a cause of death?"

"Blood loss is the most probable cause," Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard answered without hesitation. "Though there were so many injuries, it's hard to say for sure."

Catherine nodded and opened the file the NCIS medical examiner had given her. She winced at the photographs; beside her, Abby stared at them impassively.

"She was tortured over an extended period of time," Ducky continued gravely. "There were lacerations on her back that appear to have been done with a leather belt or whip. The chains around her wrists and ankles had been tightened, breaking the skin. She had three broken ribs, one of which had punctured her left lung. The bones in her right hand had been crushed. There were multiple instances of internal bleeding and evidence that she may have been suffering from a concussion as the result of contact with a blunt object to subdue her, which I've narrowed down to most likely being the butt of a gun. Knife wounds marked her stomach, chest, arms and upper thighs. They weren't deep enough to sever any major arteries but deep enough to contribute the overall cause of death."

Her face pale, Catherine gripped the folder tightly. "Thank you, Doctor. Were there any drugs in her system, anything to suggest they'd sedated her to keep her quiet?"

"The toxicology was clean except for an usual level of adrenaline and a large dose of modafinil," Abby answered tersely. "They kept her awake the entire time. She was conscious and aware of what they were doing to her; she just couldn't stop them."

There was a pause in conversation as the horrific extent of Annie's ordeal sunk in. Abby refused to look at anyone, her eyes permanently fixed on the photographs in Catherine's file. She only looked up when Catherine closed the file gently.

"Abby," Catherine began gently, "if you want to take some time... Veronica has volunteered to be the NSA agent-in-charge for the rest of the investigation."

Abby straightened even further in her chair, her eyes narrowed. The tension levels in the room rose noticeably. "Are you removing me from the case?"

"Not exactly, no," Catherine answered slowly. "It's been suggested that you take a step back, both because of what happened to Annie and because you're an obviously in line to be targeted by these people. You have a personal connection, Abby..."

"You just figured that out?" Abby snorted, the outburst taking the others by surprise. "My family have been moved to a safe house, my partner and friend was murdered in my apartment, in my bed. My teammates, the agents I used to lead, are being killed one by one because of something I did and you're just now realising that maybe this is personal for me?"

"Abby..." Catherine kept her voice calm and understanding. "We're just concerned for your safety. Simon suggested that maybe you could go and stay with your family. You'd be able to keep them safe, and I promise I'll keep you up to date with the investigation..."

"Simon suggested it?" The scorn was clear in Abby's voice. "The same Simon Veronica's been screwing for years?"

Catherine's expression was pained – and embarrassed when she noticed the NCIS agents watching with open fascination. "He's my boss, Abby, and his personal affairs are his business."

"Affair would be right," Abby muttered darkly. "One of these days, someone's going to tell Fiona exactly how some women under Simon's command get faster promotions than others. I'd sure like to see her hand him his balls on a plate when she does."

Her cheeks reddened instead of the ashen colour they had been going through the folder of autopsy photographs, Catherine could only watch, stunned, as Abby got to her feet. "Abby..."

"You can tell Simon where he can stick his suggestion," Abby told her calmly. "And you can give Veronica the team with my blessing, but if you think I'm going to step aside and let her get the bastard who did this to Annie, you are severely mistaken. I'll just do it on my own."

"Abigail! Agent Sciuto!" Catherine stood up when she realised Abby's intention but the younger woman didn't stop. Abby kept on walking, slamming the door of the conference room behind her. Catherine looked beseechingly to the NCIS agents seated around the table, her gaze eventually settling on Gibbs. "You said you had her back, Agent Gibbs. If she goes out on her own against these people, changes are she won't be coming back alive."

Gibbs didn't wait for the Director's nod of approval; he got up and went after her, shutting the door quietly but firmly behind him.

"Is there something we should know about Agent Kelly?" Director Vance questioned mildly, confident his lead agent would take care of his forensic scientist. "There seems to be a certain degree of... animosity between her and Ms. Sciuto."

If Catherine noticed he no longer referred to Abby as one of her agents, she chose not to comment. Instead, she sat down and took a slow sip from the glass of water in front of her. "Agent Kelly and Agent Green were... romantically involved. It ended badly from what I could gather, with the majority of hurt feelings on Annie's part. Abby is extremely loyal to her friends as I'm sure you know and couldn't forgive Veronica for hurting Annie."

Tony frowned at the explanation, exchanging a look with his teammates. "We were under the impression it was due to a case," he explained quietly when Director Vance arched an eyebrow in question.

"Agent Kelly told us she managed to solve a case that Abby and Agent Green had been struggling with," Ziva added in a matter-of-fact manner. "She suggested Abby's feelings towards her were related to that."

Catherine shook her head, a grim expression on her face. "Veronica used her relationship with Annie to access her notes on the case they were working on. She collared the perpetrator while Annie and Abby followed procedure and got authorisation for the operation they wanted to set up. Veronica got all the credit for bringing in the suspect while they were caught up in red tape" Indignation coloured her tone. "I had no idea Veronica was using that as an excuse for Abby's feelings towards her."

"It was the reason she gave," Ziva informed her bluntly. "But now we know the truth, it is understandable why Abby would not want Agent Kelly to be responsible for catching Agent Green's murderer, yes?"

"It's understandable," Catherine agreed with a sigh, "but I'm afraid it's out of my hands. I have orders just as you do, Agent David. Please, when you see Abby, let her know I'm doing everything I can to get my bosses to change their minds and have her reinstated as the lead on this."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Tony replied evenly, shrugging when the NSA agent looked at him. "Abby was happy here before you came along. She belongs at NCIS, with us. Maybe you should just accept that this is where she's meant to be and let things go back to the way they were around here."

He got up before Catherine could think of an argument, waiting for Director Vance to nod his permission for him to leave before he led the rest of his team out of the conference room to get on with the tasks they'd been given.

"I'd apologise if what he said was anything other than the truth," Leon said after a short pause once the two were alone.

A faintly wistful expression passed over her features. "She's found a home here, hasn't she?"

"She's been here longer than I've been Director," he admitted, "and I can tell you she's an integral part of my staff. Agent Gibbs' team in particular have become a family of sorts. At its heart, from what I can tell, is Ms. Sciuto."

"I'm glad," Catherine murmured. "She was one of my best agents, always achieving far more than we expected her to but she was never truly happy with us. She missed her family too much and made it clear she was doing it for them."

"Because her family were being financially compensated for her absence," Director Vance surmised.

Catherine nodded. "That, and because they were the ones who put her forward for it. They knew they wouldn't be able to pay for the education she deserved and Abby, for her part, knew she'd be able to better provide for them if she had a solid career to fall back on. I won't lie to you, Director; we wanted her from the start and made sure we knew exactly what we had to offer to get her."

"In her personal file, she has a high school in New Orleans listed," the Director commented. "Was she educated there or that is a cover story, too?"

"It's a genuine institution but it wasn't your traditional high school. It was a residential institution set up and run by the NSA. Instead of your usual extracurricular activities such as cheerleading or basketball, our students learnt other skills we thought would be more beneficial. Target practise, languages, extra lessons in chemistry and biology, a variety of self defence classes were what was on offer to our students." Catherine gave a regretful sigh. "I always did wish we could just let them be children, teenagers, but the agency disagreed. The least we could have done would have been to allow them a modicum of normality but that was strongly advised against. There were no dances, no proms... Socialising between students wasn't encouraged at all."

"Sounds more like a boot camp than a school," Director Vance observed, a flicker of sympathy on his face – for Abby and the students like her. He thought about his own children and how much freedom they had in comparison. "The think-tank NCIS previously became involved with seemed a lot different."

"They've vastly improved over the years," Catherine agreed, "but that makes me feel no less guilty for what we took from our earlier recruits."

After another lull in conversation, Director Vance asked the question he'd been putting off. "Do you think Ms. Sciuto will really go after these people alone, without the authorisation of either the NSA or NCIS?"

"Yes." Catherine's reply came without hesitation. "She's got the skill and the determination to find them. I just hope she doesn't find he's in over her head due to her years in the lab."

"You disagree with her decision to leave the field."

"I disagree with wasting so much potential, as do my superiors," Catherine corrected with a shrug. "But if she's happier in a lab, with NCIS, who are we to say she should do otherwise?"

Director Vance tilted his head in acknowledgement but couldn't keep himself from wondering if he should discuss career options with Ms. Sciuto when the matter was resolved.


	8. Chapter 8

_Huge thanks to everyone for the reviews, comments etc! They mean a lot *hugs*_

* * *

'Don't feel. Just think. Just do.'

The mantra ran through her head as she left NCIS through the rarely used stairwell rather than the elevators. She needed time to decide what she was going to do, where she was going to go.

Her apartment wasn't an option. For one, it was still a crime scene and for another, she didn't think she'd be able to set foot inside it again without remembering.

Without seeing it all over again.

Guilt ate away at her, both due to her actions some years before and due to the knowledge that Annie had been brutally tortured in her bed while she'd been preoccupied with other, much more pleasurable activities in Gibbs'.

Maybe if she'd gone home, she could have stopped it. Maybe Annie would be alive.

'Maybe you'd both be dead,' contradicted another voice in her head, one that sounded suspiciously like Gibbs.

Abby paused, leaning her forehead against the wall. It felt cool against her skin, almost soothing. She closed her eyes and willed the tears she could feel stinging her eyes away.

'Have to be strong. Have to find them. Have to make them pay.'

The Abby she'd become over the years she'd spent at NCIS was slipping away from her. The forensic specialist would have taken time to grieve, would have been satisfied trusting the investigating agents – NCIS, of course – to get justice. The former NSA agent wanted revenge with a hunger that both startled and scared her.

She felt the weight of the gun in the holster at her hip and found she was grateful for its presence. It calmed her, centred her, helped her believe she was in control instead of feeling like the control was creeping away from her.

Above, she heard a door open. She turned to rest her back against the wall, clenching her fists in the pockets of her leather jacket as she looked up to watch him come down the stairs towards her.

She didn't know how he'd known where she'd gone or how she'd know it would be him but then there were a lot of things that happened between herself and Gibbs that she just couldn't explain.

"Before you say it, I'm not going back on this. I'm not going to let *her* use Annie's murder as another means to a promotion" Green eyes met blue unflinchingly. "I'm going to do this, Gibbs. I'm going to find them and I'll get justice for Annie. The only way you can stop me is to arrest me or kill me."

"Can't say either of those options appeal to me." Gibbs approached her slowly, almost as if she were a wild animal liable to run if he spooked her by moving too fast. "And I can't say I'm happy with you going down this path. Believe me, Abby, I've been here before. It's not something I want for you."

Knowing he was referring to the murders of his first wife and child, and the way he'd dealt with that by killing the man who'd killed them, Abby felt a glimmer of her old self ache on his behalf. The other part of her quashed it ruthlessly and crossed her arms over her chest, a physical form of defence. "You think you have the copyright? I know you're struggling to believe it but I've got a past that's almost as colourful as yours, Gibbs, and I'm not some naive and innocent bystander you can protect from everything bad in the world no matter how much we both want me to be."

"I can protect you from this if you'd let me," he stated softly, taking another step towards her. "I can help you find these people, keep you safe." He sighed deeply and held her gaze. "I can help you do what you need to do in a way that hopefully means we both come out of this alive on the other side with our careers intact."

A ghost of a smile flickered on her mouth, dying almost as quickly as it appeared. "You're too a good a man to help me do what I have to. Maybe once, when you were bitter and bruised and had so much anger in you that you didn't know what to do with... Maybe then you could have helped me. But you're not that man anymore, Gibbs. You came through it and you're healing. You have your morals and a definite sense of what's right and what's wrong, even if you do know better than most how many grey areas there are in between. I won't ask you to go back to being that person because of this. Because of me. It's my turn to walk this path and I have to do it alone."

"If you do it alone, you'll end up as a guest of Ducky's right next to Annie's." It was a warning, not a threat. A risk that was very real and one that scared him far more than it did her. "I can't let that happen, Abby. You know I can't."

"It's not your choice to make." Abby let one shoulder rise and fall and sidestepped him, freezing him with a look when he made a move to stop her. "No matter what happens, know that I've loved being at NCIS since the beginning, that this was my choice. And know that I've loved you almost as long."

She made it down the next flight of steps before he caught up with her. A gasp escaped her when she found herself pinned against the wall of the stairwell, his body pressed against hers. He kissed her hungrily, almost angrily, demanding she respond, fisting his hands through her hair to keep her where he wanted her.

"You don't get to make that decision for us both," he told her when he pulled back, blue eyes dark with a dangerous mix of anger and arousal. "Let the damn NSA have their investigation, Abby. We'll have our own. And I swear I'll let you do what you have to do. Just let me help so you don't end up in autopsy." He held her gaze as he continued, letting her see what he said was the truth. "If you do, I'll end up down that path myself and I won't make it back without you."

Torn between her desire to get revenge for Annie and the others who'd been lost, and her need to protect him from reverting back to the man he'd been so long ago, Abby let her head fall back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"I've got your back, Abby." Gibbs repeated the words he'd said to her not so long ago, taking a step back but pulling her with him, drawing her against him. "Always have."

Sagging against him, Abby wrapped her own arms around his waist and held on, desperately wanting to believe him but knowing with a certainty that broke her heart that she would eventually have to let him go and finish it on her own.


	9. Chapter 9

Tony and Ziva made their way to their pre-arranged appointment with the manager at the motel the Summers had escaped to. They didn't speak in the car, both uncomfortably aware of what their visit would do to Abby if she knew about it.

They hadn't asked what had taken place between Abby and Gibbs in the stairwell at NCIS, hadn't pressed either of the people involved for an answer. All they knew was that Abby had handed the NSA side of the investigation over to Agent Kelly and had rejoined it firmly on NCIS's side. She had no intention of going back to her lab for the remainder of the case and neither Gibbs nor Vance said anything to say they expected her to.

Their worry for their friend grew as they noticed the distance she tried to put between herself and everyone else, distance Gibbs was obviously doing his best to overcome. It was disturbing to them to see their boss and forensic scientist struggling to keep up the pretence that everything was okay between them when it was obvious something fundamental had changed.

Tony, Ziva and McGee could only hope that whatever it was wouldn't remain a problem long after the case was closed.

The motel manager was waiting for them outside when they arrived. Harry Keating, an older gentleman who took an immediate liking to Ziva, was more than willing to help with their investigation and was evidently concerned when Ziva handed him a photograph of is former guests in their bruised and battered state.

"They didn't look like that when they checked in," Harry denied, shaking his head vehemently. "They were as healthy as you or I. A little subdued but the wife said they were in town for a friend's funeral so I figured that was what was wrong."

"Mr and Mrs. Summers were unharmed when they got here?" Ziva exchanged a long look with Tony. "Did they seem worried in any way? Concerned, perhaps, that they may have been followed?"

Harry shook his head again and handed the photograph back. "They didn't seem concerned about anything like that. I remember they paid cash up front for three days but left credit card details as a guarantee for the room. Opted for express checkout so they just had to drop the key through the slot by midday without having to worry about getting caught up in a queue."

"Would you have a record of their credit card details even if you had no reason to use it?" Tony gave him a winning smile. "Anything that confirms they were here would be good."

"I've got the copy I took of their card and their initial reservation form. You can have copies of both of those." Harry moved to an antiquated filing system Tony was sure would have the technically minded McGee in tears. "Thinking about it," Harry continued thoughtfully, "we should still have the security footage of them checking in. My son-in-law installed the system, insisted I should have it since I won't retire like my daughter says I should. I could look and see if the tapes have been reused if you like?"

Ziva rewarded him with one of her brightest smiles. "That would be wonderful, Mr. Keating. Thank you."

The old man blushed under the weight of her appreciate and Tony forced a cough, turning his head to hide his smirk. "Not a problem at all, Agent David. I'm happy to help."

Less than an hour later, the duo left with the CCTV footage and copies of the records Helen and Rob Summers had signed.

* * *

Abby paced the length of the squad room, a thin paper folder crumpled in a clenched fist as she waited for McGee. She glared at anyone who stopped to speak to her, regardless of whether they were NCIS, NSA or just Ben the mailman. When the technical minded member of Gibbs' team returned to the squad room after a short break, he either didn't notice the sympathetic looks of the other agents working around him or simply didn't realise they were for him.

She waited until he sat down at his desk, leaning over him once he had. McGee swallowed reflexively and looked up at her, guilt visible in his eyes. "You have something you want to tell me, McGee?"

McGee held himself still against the urge to shake his head. "Not... Not that I know of."

"Really?" She let one arm rest casually over the back of his chair, effectively trapping him between the desk and herself.

"Um, yeah. Really." McGee jumped when she slammed her hand down on his desk, leaving the crumpled piece of paper behind when she withdrew it. "I don't know what... oh."

The printed ink on the paper was all too familiar to him and McGee shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh? Is that the best you can do?" Abby's voice was a low hiss, the anger he could hear in it almost as foreign to him as the way she was acting. Like a female Gibbs, McGee mused, when he was being given the run around by a suspect in interrogation.

Looking around, McGee felt his palms begin to sweat. There was nothing to distract her with, no one around to divert her attention. "It's not what it looks like. Well, no, it's exactly what it looks like but I can explain..."

"You can?" Abby's eyes flashed with a cold fury but he could still see the hurt in their depths and that was what bothered him the most. "You can tell me why you went behind my back, ran a check on the finances of two victims, treating them like suspects?" She waited a beat. "C'mon, McGee, I'm waiting for the great explanation. Why did you run a check on Helen and Rob's financials?"

"He ran it because I asked him to." Gibbs appeared in front of his younger agent's desk, meeting Abby's hurt, accusing stare instead of acknowledging the relief on McGee's face. Tony and Ziva stood behind him, their expressions as grim as his. "I know you're upset, Abby, but you're gonna want to see what we've got."

Eying the folder in his hand with wary suspicion, Abby let her arm drop from McGee's chair and stood up straight. "This better be worth it."


	10. Chapter 10

They chose to carry out their impromptu debriefing in Abby's lab. It was one of the places at NCIS that could be completely locked down to keep anyone else from overhearing what was said, warmer than the morgue and a lot more roomy than the elevator. Abby took a moment on entering to check on her equipment, trailing her fingers over her 'babies' as if to reassure them that she was still around while Gibbs sent the temporary forensic technician filling in for her on a fools errant.

McGee, Ziva and Tony took up positions in the background, understanding that their boss would want to explain himself before letting them tell her what they'd each found. They shared glances that could almost be classed as nervous as Abby initiated the lockdown of the lab, shutting off the exits and security cameras with one button on the remote she set down on the workstation beside her computer.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Abby asked eventually, folding her arms over her chest as she fixed Gibbs with a steady stare. She was glad that the others were with them in a way even if it did make her feel a little outnumbered. They were all on the same side, she tried telling herself, and she trusted them implicitly – had trusted them, before they'd gone behind her back. At least, though, if they were there, Gibbs wouldn't use any underhand or unfair tactics to try and soften her up; she couldn't imagine him grabbing her and kissing him in the lab in front of his agents the way he had in the stairwell when it had just been the two of them.

"Something about Helen and Rob's story doesn't add up. If you weren't so close to them and to the investigation, you'd see that yourself." Gibbs held her gaze unflinchingly. "I asked McGee to check their finances and I had DiNozzo and Ziva make contact with the motel they holed up at. I won't apologise for that, either. This is still my case."

Her jaw clenched and her eyes flashed but Abby said nothing, merely arched an eyebrow and tapped her foot impatiently against the floor.

He opened the folder he'd been holding since interrupting her confrontation with McGee and held out a still image taken from the security footage taken at the motel. "Tony and Ziva got this from the motel manager."

After a moment's pause, Abby took the photograph. She stared at him for a few moments longer before turning her attention to the image, a frown marring her smooth brow as her mind processed it. "When was this taken?"

"It was taken from the footage of them checking in at the motel." Ziva took a step forward and answered the question when Gibbs gave her a small, subtle nod. "I am sorry, Abby, but we checked the dates on the footage and on the reservation forms. Neither Helen nor Rob had any injuries when they arrived at their motel."

"We checked out their house, too, Abs," Tony chimed in quietly. "On the surface, it looks like something happened there but if you dig deeper, it's obvious it was all staged. There was no trace of blood, no sign that there was a fight between six people."

Her hand clenched on the photograph as her blood thundered through her veins, pounding in her ears. She felt sick and dizzy and hot and betrayed on so many different fronts. Her face paler than usual, Abby looked up and glanced from Gibbs to McGee and back again. "And in their financials? I assume there was something hinky there, too?"

"They were in serious debt until six months ago," McGee began to explain after a look from Gibbs. "Then they started getting one large lump sum every month from the same account number. I traced it to a bank account the FBI have under surveillance. Fornell confirmed it has connections to a terrorist cell but couldn't tell me which one."

He hesitated and Abby mentally steeled herself for more. "What else, Tim? I won't shout, I promise," she added with a ghost of a smile, an apology for the way she'd cornered him upstairs. "Just tell me."

"I accessed the account the money was transferred from and found similar amounts of money leaving it. After tracing those, I was able to identify another bank account on the NSA payroll. I've been trying to get a name to go with the account but without the NSA giving me the name of the person attached to that employee number on their payroll, it's proving difficult." McGee gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Abby."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Tim." Abby handed the photograph back to Gibbs and turned away from them, running a hand through her hair as she paced her lab. She turned back to them, hands clasped in front of her and shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "If Rob and Helen are in on it, why would they plant the idea that there was a mole in the NSA? Why would they want us – you – to start looking there?"

"Perhaps they went along with it against their will," Ziva suggested after a momentary pause. "They seem to genuinely care about you, Abby, and I am sure they feel genuine remorse and regret that their former colleagues are dead. It is possible they did not want to take part in this, and that they felt they had no choice."

Tony added his opinion when Abby's gaze turned to him. "If Ziva's right, they might have said that to warn you there's someone else you can't trust. Maybe if we talk to them again, they'll tell you who."

"We'd have to offer them something in return," Abby mused quietly. "Some kind of protection..." Her voice trailed off and a horror stricken expression arranged her features. Her gaze flew to Gibbs at the same time he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, the look on his face suggesting he'd followed her line of thought. "Gibbs..."

"What's wrong?" Ziva moved forward to try to comfort her, her distress evident. "Abby?"

"If there's someone else working for them inside the NSA, someone who could get them the names and addresses of everyone involved that night..." Abby shook her head and clung to Ziva's arm to keep herself standing. Fear paralyzed her, froze her to the spot. Images of Annie's body flashed in her mind but instead of her friend and former partner, the face changed to be that of... "My family. The safe houses have probably been compromised. If it's me De Silvo wants to hurt, he'll go after my family."

Gibbs swore and closed his phone with one hand, reaching for the remote to undo the lockdown around the lab with the other. Within minutes, the outer doors were open and Director Vance and Catherine walked in, the former putting away his own phone.

"I don't know how it happened, Abby, I swear to you I wouldn't have risked them if I'd know there was a chance..." Catherine's eyes shone with tears of remorse. "I'm so sorry."

Abby took a step towards her former boss, leaving the comfort of Ziva's embrace behind her. "What happened?"

"The safe houses were attacked. All of them. Derek and Aaron, they're dead." A tear ran unchecked down Catherine's face as she broke the news that Abby's former unit had lost another two of its members. "There was no way of knowing..."

"My mom? Nick and Claudia and Isabelle?" Abby took another step forward. "Where are they, Catherine?"

"Your mom, brother and sister-in-law are being treated under armed guard at Bethesda, thanks to Director Vance. Gloria is stable and Nick and Claudia are doing fine. Your niece..." Catherine bit her bottom lip. "Isabelle was taken, Abby. I don't know where she is."


	11. Chapter 11

_Again, thanks so much for all the support on this fic - it's appreciated! And for those who've asked what the title means - 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' is french for 'the beautiful lady without mercy'._

* * *

The conference room was full. The NSA agents originally assigned to the case had been joined by Gibbs' team and several other NCIS agents Vance had drafted in at his senior agent's request. Catherine had looked, for a moment, as if she'd wanted to protest but a cold look from Abby had warned her against it.

The NSA, as far as her former agent was concerned, were as responsible for the situation as the terrorists behind it.

"NCIS have stepped in to put the survivors from the NSA safe houses into their own properties with guards they've used before. For obvious reasons, the details of these properties will not be released to anyone but myself, Director Vance, Agent Sciuto and Agent Gibbs." Catherine ignored the scowl she got from Abby as she debriefed the rest of the team. "Those injured are being treated under heavy security at various hospitals across the country. Helen and Rob Summers are unaccounted for. At this time, we don't know if they left of their own free will or if they were forced. Unfortunately, they're the only ones who could have given us any answers."

The update was grim to say the least. Most of the NSA Agents looked shocked and sickened by the news while the newly drafted in NCIS agents looked sympathetically at the forensic scientist they considered to be one of their own.

Only one person in the room didn't seem devastated by the turn of current events. The small smile quickly disappeared from Veronica's lips but not soon enough to escape Abby's notice. Before anyone could react, she had crossed the room and dragged the other woman up out of her chair, pressing her back to the wall with her gun pointed at her forehead while her other hand held Veronica in place by the throat. "Guess it won't be so hard to find the other mole after all."

Veronica attempted a surprised look for a matter of seconds, the expression disintegrating into an unpleasant smirk as Abby's grip tightened. "Well, well, well. Look who's back. I wondered what it would take to break you, Abby."

"Break me?" Abby's grip loosened a little but the cold fury in her gaze didn't ease. "This is a game to you?"

"Oh it's so much more than that but why shouldn't I have a little fun at the same time?" A small squeak escaped Veronica when Abby resumed the pressure to her throat.

"Let her go, Abby." Gibbs' voice was firm but quiet. She hadn't heard him get up but could tell without looking over her shoulder that he was standing just behind her. "She's not going anywhere."

After a tense moment, Abby did as he suggested. Veronica rubbed her throat and moved away, the smirk back in place on her lips even as Tony and Ziva moved to block the only door leading out of the room. "They've got you housebroken, I see."

Abby ignored her, her hands clenching into fists at her side. "Where's Isabelle?"

"You know, I thought it would be Annie's murder that got to you," Veronica continued as if the black-haired woman hadn't spoken, as if she wasn't bothered by the guns and venomous stares being aimed at her. "I even told her as much. I should have known better. You are supposedly the best, everyone keeps telling me. Distant, aloof. Cold."

A sound of disbelief came from somewhere behind her but Abby ignored it. Her heart quickened at Veronica's words and she took a step closer to the other woman, blocking out everything else apart from her rival. "You were there when Annie was killed."

"I did more than watch," Veronica taunted callously. She didn't have time to move before Abby's hand rose and struck her, the force of the blow causing her to cry out. "Careful, Abigail. Wouldn't want to show your NCIS friends what's really hiding behind your childlike smokescreen, would you?"

"Stop screwing around, Veronica. Tell me where Isabelle is or I swear to you..." Reluctantly, Abby stepped aside so Gibbs could fasten handcuffs around Veronica's wrists.

"You'll what?" Veronica rolled her eyes. "Hit me? Pull my hair like a girl? I don't know why Catherine and the others hold you in such high regard. You're spineless. Pathetic. You had the chance to be the best and you threw it away to play in some dingy underground lab..."

"Is that what this is about, Veronica?" Catherine's voice cut in before Abby could react. "You're tired of playing second fiddle to a colleague so you joined forces with a known terrorist to try and best her? If that's the case, I hate to tell you but Abby's not the one in this equation I'd call pathetic..."

Veronica's eyes narrowed and her features twisted unpleasantly. "She's a former colleague, Catherine. When you and everyone else realise that, we'll all be better off. She's not coming back to the agency and even if she did, it would be a blow for us and not the gain you all keep saying it would be."

"Simon," Catherine realised with a sigh. "You mean Simon keeps saying she's a loss and you can't stand it, can you? He might be your lover but as your boss, he doesn't rate you when compared to her."

Before Veronica could argue again, Abby held up a hand. "I don't care why you did it. I don't care who said what or even what it is that made you the twisted, power-grabbing bitch you are. You'll pay for the murders you helped orchestrate, Annie's and all of the others, and if you value your pretty face, you'll tell me where my niece is. Now."

"Like you're going to hurt me," Veronica sneered. "You wouldn't dare step out of line..." Her arms were twisted behind her back and a knife she hadn't known Abby was carrying was at her throat before she could finish her insult. Veronica gasped, the movement forcing the blade more firmly against her flesh.

"Abby!"

"Abigail..."

"Ms. Sciuto!"

Abby ignored Gibbs, Catherine and Director Vance easily. She pressed the knife a little harder, satisfaction dawning in her darkened eyes when she saw a bead of blood appear against the pale skin of Veronica's throat.

"Do you know how deep a knife has to go to leave a scar that no surgery will make go away?" Abby murmured conversationally. "Try to get away and I'll kill you before anyone has a chance to fire a shot. Refuse to tell me what I want to know and I'll make sure no man or woman ever looks at you twice again." She dug the knife in again. "That'd be a real hit to your ego, wouldn't it? That's what you get off on, right? Being the best, looking the best, getting all of the credit and admiration and attention. If that was all taken away from you, you'd be nothing, would you?" Abby shrugged the shoulder of the arm that wasn't holding the knife. "Newsflash, Veronica, it's already gone. You think you're going to get out of this? That Simon or De Silvo will somehow save you from going down for what you've done?"

A glimmer of panic shone in the other woman's eyes. "You've got no proof."

"You just confessed to a room full of witnesses," Abby reminded her coolly. "So how about you try to help yourself by telling me where my niece is?"

Her lips drawn in a thin white line, Veronica tilted her head in a futile gesture at getting away from the knife digging into her throat. Her eyes searched the room wildly, looking for an ally and finding none. "I'm not going to help you."

"Then you're no use to me." Abby's smile was cold. "Just as you'll no use to De Silvo or Simon when you're in jail."

With a great deal of obvious reluctance, Abby dropped the knife she held at Veronica's throat. Sensing Abby's control was back in place but not sure how long it would last, Catherine looked to Director Vance for Guidance. At the Director's nod, two NCIS agents ushered the woman out of the conference room.

Still standing, her body beginning to tremble but holding on to her composure with sheer will power, Abby took a moment to steady herself before crossing to the table where Veronica had been sitting – to where her cell phone and notes on the case still lay.

"You should call Simon," Abby said quietly, aware she was giving an order to a superior agent but knowing Catherine was too stunned to think straight. "You need to find out how much he knows, whether he's involved. Double the efforts to find Helen and Rob, too. They'll probably end up in the Anacostia but there's a small chance they're still alive so you should try to find them before that happens."

"What are you going to do?" Catherine watched her warily, frowning as Abby picked up Veronica's phone and started looking through it. "Abby?"

Pressing dial, Abby held up a hand to silence Catherine's protests. She held the phone to her ear, waiting patiently as it started to ring.

"I thought I told you not to call me," an annoyed, accented voice greeted her. "I am trying to work."

"So am I." Abby paused, giving him a moment to realise he wasn't speaking to Veronica. "Hello, Tommy. Or should I call you Tomas?"

"Who are you? Where is Veronica?"

"Veronica's unavailable at the moment." Abby shrugged even though she knew he couldn't see her and walked away from the group watching her every move. Standing at the window, looking out over the Navy Yard, she continued her conversation with a killer. "As for who I am, I'm the one you've apparently been looking for."

There was another moment of silence, and then he spoke again, excitement creeping into his voice. "Agent Abigail Sciuto."

"The one and only. I think it's time to stop playing games and meet in person. You have something I want, after all."

"Ah, yes. Dear little Isabelle." The way he said her niece's name made her shudder. "She will be pleased to see you, no doubt, but only if you come alone. Bring anyone with you and the child will die."

"I'll come alone," Abby said evenly, meeting Gibbs' gaze in the reflection of the window as he came up behind her. "You have my word on that if I have yours that Isabelle is alive."

"I can give you more than my word, Agent Sciuto." There was another pause and she heard him bark an order that was muffled by his hand over the receiver. A few seconds more and another voice came over the line.

"Aunt Abby?" She was obviously tired and more than a little scared but Isabelle Sciuto's voice had never sounded sweeter to her aunt. "I wanna go home."

"I know you do, honey. I'm gonna come and get you, okay? You just need to be brave for a little bit longer." Abby closed her eyes. "Can you do that for me, Izzy?"

"Uh-huh. I'll try." The words were punctuated by a sniffle, a sound that broke Abby's heart even as it added to her resolve to make the bastard responsible pay. "Love you, Aunt Abby."

"I love you, too, baby girl. And I'll see you soon." Her voice cracked despite her attempts to the contrary.

"Touching. Your niece obviously has a lot of faith in you." Tomas De Silvo interrupted the moment, signalling he had control of the telephone once more. "I will send an address to Veronica's phone since it is in your possession. Be there in one hour, alone, and the child will live. I look forward to finally meeting you in person, Agent Sciuto. We have much to discuss."

The line went dead. Abby closed the phone and stared at the screen expectantly. Within minutes, the phone beeped and the screen lit up with a new message. Opening it, she memorised the address before deftly deleting the message and turning to hand the phone to Gibbs.

"Evidence," was all she said, brushing by him after making sure he had a good grip on it.

She left the room swiftly and no one tried to stop her.


	12. Chapter 12

Her apartment was the last place on earth she wanted to go but also the one place she needed to visit before she could meet with Tomas De Silvo. Abby stood in the hallway outside her home, staring at the bright yellow crime scene tape, doing her best to keep her mind from rerunning the memories of what she'd found the last time she'd entered the place that had once been her sanctuary from the rest of the world.

Her hand shook as she removed the tape from the door, and it took two attempts at getting the key in the lock before she was successful. Taking a deep breath to steal herself, Abby turned the key and pushed open the door.

The damage seemed somehow worse than she'd remembered, and looking at the empty spaces where her personal belongings should have been only served to remind her of where they were: in evidence storage lockers or, worse, irreparable in bin bags.

Shaking herself mentally, Abby forced herself forward, through the apartment to her bedroom. She wouldn't let herself look at the bed, couldn't without picturing Annie lying there, without imagining the horror and pain she must have felt. Bypassing the bed, she went straight for her dresser, crouching down to pick up the small black box she'd slid underneath it years ago.

It took only a few moments to spin the combination lock into the right order, the lid of the box releasing easily. Abby opened it fully and took out the gun that was kept inside, a privately owned, personally registered weapon she'd hoped she'd never have reason to use.

Tomas De Silvo was expecting her to be armed with her service weapon; she hoped he wouldn't think to check if she had anything else. As soon as Isabelle was out of the way, as soon as she was somewhere safe...

"Cross that bridge when you come to it," she told herself quietly, picking up the gun. She checked it over and loaded it with the bullets that had been lying next to it in the box.

Still without looking at the bed, Abby stowed the gun away and headed out of her apartment, intent on reaching the address De Silvo had sent her within plenty of time.

* * *

McGee swallowed and fought the urge to wipe his hands on the leg of his pants. Tony stood behind him, literally breathing down his neck, while Ziva watched intently from where she was perched on her own desk. Gibbs paced the floor between all of their desks, occasionally stopping to glare at him or bark an order to hurry it up.

He'd been tasked with recovering the text message Abby had deleted, something that would have been easy had he not been working to such a tight deadline. The network kept copies of text messages and had been willing to help them but had said it would take them time to find the exact one.

Time they didn't have.

Instead, they'd passed the raw data to NCIS and McGee was sifting through it, running several searches all at once in an attempt at finding the message Tomas De Silvo had sent their missing friend.

If only Abby would pick up her own phone, McGee found himself thinking not for the first time. If only she'd left it switched on so they could use it to track her location.

Just as he was beginning to think he was going to have to admit defeat, the computer in front of him beeped. A screen popped up and he pulled his hands back from the keyboard, using the mouse to make it bigger.

"Got it!" He couldn't keep the triumph from his voice. Memorising the address, he minimised the window and opened another, typing in the zipcode. A map appeared on the large plasma screen as he narrowed down the location, highlighting it for his boss and teammates.

"It's a residential property," McGee reported. "An apartment block owned by a developer that's due to be demolished at the end of the month. It's the only building remaining in a five-mile radius. Uninhabited so I'm not sure what kind of condition it'll be in."

"Doesn't matter." Gibbs looked at Tony, who was busily inputting the address into his satellite navigation. "Let's go."

"Boss?" Tony spoke as they followed him to the elevators, sat nav in hand. "De Silvo told her to go alone. If he figures out we're there, too..."

"He won't." Gibbs interrupted. "Not till after it matters."

* * *

Old and dingy, the building wasn't where she'd expected De Silvo to be hiding. Even from the outside, it looked like it was falling apart and, after pushing open the unsecured front door, Abby saw that the inside wasn't any better. The smell of damp hung heavily in the air and she eyed the floorboards that were visible through the thread-bare carpets warily, certain they'd be rotten through in places.

In his text message, he'd directed her to apartment 101, which was on the ground floor. A relief, she thought, giving the rickety staircase a wide birth as she walked as quietly as she could over a floor that creaked ominously with every other step.

There was no sound, no indication that there was anyone other than herself in the building. Abby approached the door to apartment 101 with growing trepidation, her hand tightening on the gun she held out in front of her.

The door, like the one at the front of the building, was slightly ajar.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed it open slowly, leaning away from it in case she was given a less-than-warm welcome.

Nothing.

She stepped forward and her breath caught in her throat. Her grip on the gun tightened to the point of pain and she had to keep herself from immediately running over to the little girl slumped forward in the chair she was tied to.

A chair with a bomb secured almost neatly to its legs.

"How do you like my present, Agent Sciuto?" The now-familiar voice of Tomas De Silvo called to her from somewhere in the shadows of the dimly lit apartment.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her," Abby murmured, stepping more fully into the apartment as her eyes focused on the source of the voice, standing just off to the side from Isabelle's unconscious form.

"She is unhurt." Tomas De Silvo stepped forward, shrugging as he moved into a pool of light spilling in from spaces between the wooden boards covering the windows. "She was becoming distressed. It is only a mild sedative."

"And I suppose the bomb would just be a mild shock?" Abby retorted sarcastically. She studied him intently, noting the gun he held in one hand and the knife he held in the other. "I thought you'd have company."

De Silvo shrugged one shoulder. "My associates are handling matters elsewhere. As this is personal, I decided to oversee it on my own."

"You either have a lot of confidence in yourself or Veronica told you I'd gone soft." Abby gave him a humourless smile when he inclined his head, agreeing with one or both of her statements. "I wouldn't believe everything Veronica's told you. She has a habit of making things up to make herself seem like the better person."

"I am aware of Veronica's habit of, shall we say, exaggerating her better qualities." De Silvo shrugged and lifted the gun he held when she took a step closer, an audible click echoing through the room as he took off the safety and let his finger rest lightly on the trigger. "I have no need for her. She was a means to an end."

"To me?" Tilting her head to the side slightly, Abby took the safety off her own weapon. "You really went to all of this trouble to get revenge for something that happened so long ago?"

"You murdered my brother. It is hardly 'something'." Anger flashed in his eyes, the first emotion she'd seen on his face since entering the room. "Now I will see to it that you die as penance."

Abby arched an eyebrow. "I get that you want me to die for what I did but I don't understand why you felt the need to try and kill everyone else who was there that night. I'm the one who pulled the trigger. I killed your brother to stop him from killing my partner. Why go after the others?"

"Why not?" De Silvo shrugged carelessly. "It upset you, yes? Going after your associates? I lost more than my brother, Agent Sciuto, I lost almost every I considered to be family that night. I see no reason why you should be any different than I."

"If you'd stuck around that night instead of running away, maybe they wouldn't be dead," Abby suggested, knowing she was playing with fire but hoping to be able to put him off his stride. Her mind was already working overtime, trying to recognise what kind of bomb it was, trying to see if she could defuse it herself or if she'd have to think of something else.

"I left because my brother ordered me to," De Silvo told her brusquely. "He did not want me to get hurt. He told me he would handle the situation and meet me. He never did, and that is thanks to you."

It was her turn to shrug, her eyes meeting his. "If you guys hadn't decided to leave your bombs all over the country, I wouldn't have had to. You're the one who chose this. Surely you knew what the consequences would be when you made that decision."

Her words sounded eerily similar to the ones Gibbs had said to her in the stairwell at NCIS but Abby dismissed the thought, sensing De Silvo was losing patience.

"Enough talking. There are places I need to be." De Silvo moved to the chair and Abby tensed. She tracked him with her weapon, biting her lip when he held his own gun to Isabelle's head. "Do not move, Agent Sciuto, or the girl will die." He knelt as she watched, keeping his body well covered behind the chair and the little girl sitting in it.

An electronic beep sounded and a display that had been blank lit up with a countdown.

05:00.

Straightening, De Silvo wasted no time in pointing his gun at Abby and pulling the trigger. Abby moved swiftly behind the mouldy remains of a bookcase, pressing her back against the peeling wallpaper to avoid his shot while firing one of her own.

His grunt suggested her bullet had hit him but the fact he stayed on his feet told her it was only a graze.

"If you're planning on shooting me, why arm the bomb?" Abby called out, the dampness of the wall behind her seeping into her clothes.

"Insurance," De Silvo answered in a clipped voice. "I want to be sure that you will not disarm the bomb once I am gone."

"Shoot to wound, not to kill," Abby muttered, mostly to herself as she realised his intention. "Nice."

"The clock is ticking, Agent Sciuto. I am not afraid of death." De Silvo's voice was closer than she'd been expecting, telling her he'd moved to the other side of the bookcase. "Are you?"

She wasn't, but she didn't want her niece to die, too. Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to think of what to do. She wanted to hurt him, wanted to make him suffer, but the rational part of her mind told her that a thirst for revenge was responsible for the events of the past weeks – his intent on revenge against her for what she'd done in the line of duty. To go after him with that same hunger would make her no better than he was, and would undoubtedly mean Isabelle would pay the ultimate cost.

She edged herself closer to the end of the bookcase. She couldn't shoot blindly without risking a stray bullet hitting her niece, couldn't push the heavy piece of furniture over and onto him without taking a chance it might cause the bomb to detonate sooner than it had to.

She couldn't do nothing and let time run out.

A sudden movement from the corner of her eye distracted her momentarily and she moved to avoid the shot she knew was coming just a moment too late. Time seemed to freeze and she felt was a blast of white hot pain as a bullet implanted itself the fleshy part of her upper thigh as she landed with a thud on the floor beside Isabelle's chair. Twisting, crying out as it pressed her injury against the floor, Abby took aim and fired as Tomas De Silvo tried to make it out of the apartment door.

A surprised grunt proceeded the dull thump of his body falling to the ground, her shot hitting the back of his head with deadly accuracy.

"A little to the left," Abby muttered, remembering her refresher lesson with Gibbs. "Did the job, though."

She felt a momentary twinge of disappointment that his suffering was over so easily, then turned her attention to the bomb still ticking down.

03:37.

Her body was already growing sluggish as a result of the blood loss, refusing to cooperate as she struggled to pull herself into an upright position. Her vision blurred momentarily as beads of cold sweat dripped from her hairline and stung her eyes.

There were three wires, all the same colour, and she had no idea which one to cut. She reached for her knife, eyeing the ropes keeping Isabelle in place warily.

They were thick, heavy-duty ropes and she knew it would probably take longer to cut through them than the three minutes she had. Resolving herself to at least trying it, Abby ground her teeth against the pain and the darkness she could see encroaching on her vision.

03.02.

Footsteps in the hall outside made her stop what she was doing and fumble for her gun. She held it with a hand she couldn't keep steady, her finger poised over the trigger.

Relief filled her when Gibbs came into view, followed by Tony, Ziva and McGee, replaced quickly by fear as the counter beside her kept ticking down.

Gibbs surveyed the scene with one look, noting the position of the body, the fact De Silvo had been shot leaving the room, the blood soaking through Abby's pants and staining the floor, the unconscious girl and the display on the bomb attached to the chair.

"David, disarm the bomb. DiNozzo, work on those ropes and get the kid out of here. McGee, call it in. Make sure there's no one around and if there is, get them out of the area."

His team immediately did as he ordered. He moved over to Abby but stopped when she waved her gun at him, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm not going anywhere without Isabelle," she warned him quietly.

"You need medical attention, Abby," Gibbs told her evenly. "That's a lot of blood on the floor."

She shook her head vehemently, shuffling out of the way to give Tony and Ziva room to work. Her face paled even further at the action and she shrugged out of her jacket, fingers fumbling to wrap it around her thigh like a tourniquet. She protested at first when Gibbs knelt down, relenting only when he made it clear he was trying to help tie the material tight enough rather than carry her away from the child against her will.

"What happened, Abby?" He asked quietly, calm blue eyes locking with her luminous green ones.

"He shot me. I shot him." She shrugged under the weight of his gaze. "I couldn't let him get away, Gibbs. I couldn't let him walk out of here."

"You shot him in the back of the head."

"A little to the left, I know." She bit her lip and looked at her niece. "If I'd let him go, it would never be over. He'd always be out there."

"Got her!" Tony's declaration prevented him from answering. Gibbs looked up to see him cradle the little girl in his arms, already heading towards the door.

"Go," Gibbs ordered unnecessarily. "How's it going, Ziva?"

Ziva muttered something that sounded like a curse but didn't answer.

01:59.

"Leave it. Let's get out of here." Ziva hesitated for only a second, getting to her feet with another disgruntled sound. She moved to Gibbs' side and, together, they helped Abby get to her feet. When she was standing, Gibbs wrapped his arm around her waist and slung hers over his shoulder. "Go on, Ziva. We'll be right behind you."

Reluctantly, Ziva walked ahead of them, glancing back over her shoulder periodically as if to check they were there. With Gibbs help, Abby was able to make it to the front door before she stumbled, a cry she couldn't repress escaping her as pain shot up and down her injured leg.

With no time to spare, Gibbs hoisted her into his arms, walking as fast as he could down the steps at the front of the building.

A loud explosion signalled time was up. They all dived to the ground, with Gibbs and Tony taking care not to crush their precious cargo. Abby felt the debris rain down on them, shards of brick and wood. Her ears rang with the sound and her eyes stung. Her lungs struggled under the weight of the heavy dust in the air.

She felt the pressure on her chest ease and looked up to find Gibbs pushing himself up at her, blood streaming from a cut on his forehead. She saw his lips move and understood he was asking if she was okay but his voice sounded as though it was coming from a long way away.

She tilted her head and saw Isabelle open her eyes, her expression dazed and groggy but thankfully alive.

Tony, Ziva and McGee were already on their feet, the latter talking on his cell phone as the first two saw to her niece.

Turning her attention back to Gibbs, Abby managed to lift one of her arms, the limb feeling unusually heavy. It took two attempts at signing what she wanted to; telling him without words that she was okay before darkness took over, the ringing in her ears fading into silence.


	13. Chapter 13

_Authors Note: *hugs* and thanks to everyone who's followed this story, especially those who've left comments/feedback. It's one of the stories I've been most nervous about posting since joining the NCIS fandom so it all of the nice words have meant a lot :)_

* * *

Her thigh still hurt over a week later but she used the pain to keep herself focused on the debriefing. She sat ramrod straight in her chair, listening as Catherine recounted the details in her report, occasionally asking her to confirm or expand on something she'd written. She'd been discharged from hospital and into Ducky's care only two days earlier and had attended Annie's memorial service less than twenty-four hours ago but everything already had a surreal feeling to it.

Veronica Green had been charged and Helen and Rob Summers were still missing, presumed dead. The NSA had investigated its remaining agents and had cleared all of them, including Simon, of any wrong-doing. The only matter left to discuss was the death of Tomas De Silvo.

With a sigh, Catherine closed the folder. "You shot him while his back was turned."

"He's responsible for the deaths of eleven people, including three children. He didn't deserve to live," Abby replied calmly.

"You feel no remorse? No guilt?" Catherine's eyes narrowed slightly. "That isn't the Abigail Sciuto I remember."

"I regret that he had such a quick death if that helps," Abby answered softly. A small, humourless smile graced her lips for a second. "Don't look so surprised, Agent Lowry. You have you precious training to thank for the way I feel about him."

A glimmer of something that could have been regret flashed in Catherine's eyes. She shook her head silently and got to her feet, packing the report into her briefcase before closing it with a definitive click.

Abby also stood and removed the gun from the holster at her waist and the badge from her jacket pocket. She slid them both across the table towards her former boss. "If the circumstances had been different, it might have been nice to see you again, Catherine."

"Likewise." Catherine looked up from the badge she'd picked up and met Abby's gaze. "Maybe next time."

"Maybe." Abby gave her a small nod and looked to Director Vance, who'd sat impassively with Gibbs throughout the debriefing. "Permission to go back to my lab, Director? I want to make sure everything's in place and in proper working order."

Director gave her a small nod. "Of course, Ms. Sciuto. You're free to go." Gibbs didn't ask for permission to follow her out, leaving Director Vance with Agent Lowry. Vance got to his feet as Catherine finished gathering her belongings and walked to the door. "Agent Lowry." He held out a hand. "It's been interesting."

"Interesting is one word for it." Catherine shook his hand politely and tilted her head to the side. "I'm sure you're in no hurry to work with us again but the NSA appreciates all of NCIS's assistance during this case."

"Any time." Vance gave her a small nod. "Though, if it happens again, I'd prefer it if my forensic specialist could stay in the lab."

"I think that would probably be for the best." Catherine let her hand drop and stood back as he opened the door for her, nodding her farewell as she passed.

Leon closed the door behind her and exhaled deeply, feeling some of the tension he'd been carrying around for the past few weeks finally fade away.

Life at NCIS, it seemed, could finally get back to normal.

* * *

They didn't speak as they made their way down to her lab; Abby was lost in her own thoughts and Gibbs was content to study her out of the corner of his eye, noting the way she favoured her left leg over her right, reminding himself he'd have to make sure she didn't overdo it until her wound was completely healed.

When they stepped into the lab, it was together, and both stopped to survey the scene his agents had left behind.

A vase of black roses stood tall and proud on the workbench next to her computer; a 'Welcome Home, Abby!' was strung from one side of the room to the other and a Caf-Pow! was waiting for her next to the flowers.

Gibbs looked at her and saw her blink back tears, evidently touched by the silent message from her NCIS colleagues that they were willing to put her past and everything that had happened since the NSA had darkened their doors behind them. He made a mental note to thank his team somehow, maybe by letting them leave as soon as their final reports were finished.

"Is it really that easy?" Abby wondered aloud. She walked towards the vase and picked out one of the long stemmed roses. "To go back to the way things were?"

"For most of it." He walked up behind her, standing a little too close to be polite. "Parts of it can't go back."

She nodded and ran a fingertip over the smooth petals of the rose. "I guess nothing will bring Annie back, or make Isabelle forget what she went through. And my mom and Nick and Claudia won't forget it in a hurry, either, even if they are all going to recover physically."

"It's something they'll have to live with, just like you will." He reached for the rose and took it out of her hand, drawing her full attention. He waited until she'd turned to face at him before continuing. "Other things don't have to go back to the way they were, either, Abby."

"Other things?" She bit her lip and forced herself to hold his gaze. "You mean things with us?"

"If that's what you want."

"You'd still be interested? Even if I just work in my lab?" She ducked her head and tightened her arms around her middle.

Setting the rose down on the bench behind her, he moved his hand to her face, tilting her face up with a gentle finger. "What happened between us has nothing to do with your job, Abby. Nothing."

"So..." She uncrossed her arms and let them drop to her sides, sighing softly. "What do we do now?"

Gibbs gave her a small smile and lowered his hand from her face to her hip, drawing her into the circle of his arms. He held her close, resting his chin against the top of her head when she wound her own arms around his waist. "We let things get back to what passes for normal around here, for the most part."

"Normal with a twist," Abby murmured, her words muffled against his chest. Tilting her head back, she gave him a smile that was as shy as it was hopeful.

Unable to resist, he covered the remaining space between them and gently pressed his mouth to hers in a short but sweet kiss as confirmation that not everything had to go back to the way it had been.

After a few more moments of lingering in his embrace, Abby took a step back. "You better get back to work."

"So should you," Gibbs returned lightly. A hint of a grin warmed his face and he turned towards the door. "Be ready to leave at five."

"I will," she murmured, watching him leave before looking around her lab, familiarising herself once again with the surroundings that felt so much like home. It was, she decided, where she truly belonged.

* * *

End


End file.
